Eggplant Puttanesca
Eggplant puttanesca is a perfect blend of tender eggplant, spicy red pepper flakes, and salty olives and capers, with a slight touch of sweetness from the sauce. It’s absolutely a meal to fulfill all your senses, leaving you wanting more!
It’s been years since I’ve had eggplant, and I’m so glad I gave this Eggplant Puttanesca recipe a try. Both hearty and healthy, this eggplant pasta sauce is absolutely delicious!
This is a warm and cozy eggplant pasta meal with a rustic feel that I love. Ready in 30 minutes with only 8 ingredients, it makes an easy vegan weeknight meal the whole family will love. And the leftovers are even better!
To add a little freshness to your pasta meal, this Vegan Caesar Salad is a perfect starter or side to eggplant puttanesca with pasta!
Ingredient Notes
Eggplant is simmered with onion, olives, capers, and tomato sauce, creating a wonderfully flavorful and hearty eggplant pasta sauce that’s perfect with your favorite pasta.
Here is everything you’ll need:
- Olive oil – Use your preferred neutral-tasting oil. For oil-free, use water for water saute option.
- Onion – Use white, yellow, or red.
- Eggplant – Look for the freshest produce.
- Pasta sauce – Use jarred or make this easy marinara sauce.
- Olives – Use kalamata, green, or a medley.
- Capers – These little pickled flower buds, add an extra layer of briny flavor but can be omitted.
- Red pepper flakes – Add just a touch of heat, use more or less to taste.
- Pasta – Use penne, rigatoni, rotini, elbow, etc.
Feel like adding a little garlic, add 2 – 3 minced garlic cloves with the eggplant and onion.
How To Make Eggplant Puttanesca
This eggplant puttanesca recipe is so easy to make and will be ready for the table in about 30 minutes!
- Simply saute the onion and eggplant, add the pasta sauce, olives, capers, and red pepper flakes, and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. The sauce is ready when the eggplant is fully tender.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta, once done, combine the pasta with the sauce.
- Serve with chopped basil and almond parmesan.
And that’s it, this hearty eggplant puttanesca with pasta is seriously delicious!
Serving Suggestions
This savory eggplant pasta dish is great as is, but can be made even tastier with a little help from any of these suggestions.
- Topping: Top with a light dusting of Almond Parmesan and chopped basil.
- Bread: Pair with fresh homemade Artisan Bread, breadsticks, or soft and chewy Vegan Naan.
- Salad: Serve with a portion of this Vegan Caesar Salad or a simple leafy green salad with Healthy Flax & Evo Balsamic Vinaigrette.
- Soup: Serve with a side of Vegan Minestrone Soup or Vegetable Quinoa Soup.
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
- Freezer: This eggplant puttanesca is freezer-friendly and freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/4 inch head space for expansion. Let thaw before reheating.
- Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through, add a little sauce or water so it doesn’t stick to the pan. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring after each, until warm.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
If vegan pasta dishes are your thing, you must try this:
- Spinach and ‘Ricotta’ Vegan Stuffed Shells
- One-Pot Penne Pasta with Mushrooms & Sausage
- Spaghetti & Italian Vegan Meatballs
- Vegetable Vegan Lasagna
- Or see all vegan Italian recipes on TSV!
If you try this eggplant puttanesca recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintEGGPLANT PUTTANESCA
An easy pasta dish with a flavorful blend of spicy from the pepper flakes, salty from the kalamata olives and slight touch of sweetness from the tomato sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Entree, Pasta
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: Vegan, Italian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or 1/4 cup water for water saute
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2 – 3/4 inch cubes
- 1 (25oz) jar pasta sauce (or homemade Marinara Sauce)
- 1/2 cup pitted olives (kalamata, green or greek)
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 16 oz. pasta of choice
Instructions
In large skillet/saute pan heat olive oil over medium heat, saute onion and eggplant until tender, about 8 – 10 min. Add sauce, olives, capers, red pepper flakes, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 – 20 min. Sauce is ready when eggplant is fully tender.
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Serve eggplant sauce over pasta with a light dusting of Almond Parmesan over top. Pairs well with a slice of crusty bread.
Serves 6
Notes
If you like a little garlic, add 2 – 3 cloves, minced, when sauteing the eggplant and onion.
Delicious and healthy! Very quick to prepare as well. Thank you so much!
Can I use a regular potato instead of eggplant?
Delicious! I just made this for the first time. I might have used more olives than the recipe called for. About 25 green and 15 kalamata. Not sure if that was a 1/2 cup or not. But I love olives! Anyways the flavors were amazing. I mixed in elbow noodles and I did add two gloves of garlic as the suggestion was written. I’ll definitely put this in my rotation.
This was really good. Thank you for the recipe ❤️
Used plant based meat instead of eggplant, added mushrooms, oregano and put it over spinach to save on carbs. Easy to add your favorite veggies or spices.
Can I add Anchovies?
Thank you!
You can whatever else you like! :)
This was so tasty and easy to make! My whole family loved it, including my 4 year old. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
This was delicious and very flavorful. I substituted Calabrian chili oil I had in lieu of the red pepper flakes. I loved the robust flavors and the ease of this recipe. I let it simmer for awhile and had to add more liquid before serving, but the flavor was great, I plan to make it again,
This was delicious! One tablespoon of red pepper flakes is too much for me. I did one teaspoon, and even that was a bit much for me. I admittedly am sensitive to spice. Aside from that, a very simple and flavorful meal! Will make again.
I added a couple teaspoons of minced garlic. It was delish and paired great with a glass of red wine!