Best Eggplant Goat Cheese Pasta Recipes

EGGPLANT & GOAT CHEESE PASTA

Steps:

• Boil the pasta according to pack instructions.
• Heat the oil in a pan, then gently fry the onion and garlic for about 5 mins until softened.
• Add the eggplant, cook for 3 mins more, then tip in the tomatoes and sugar.
• Add a few drops of tabasco if desired.
• Bring to the boil, simmer for 5 mins, then stir through the basil and goat cheese.
• Toss with the drained pasta and serve.

EGGPLANT ROULADES WITH GARLIC GOAT CHEESE AND ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, garlic, seasonings, and herbs. Lay the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the tomatoes look slightly dehydrated and the skins are wrinkled. Let the tomatoes cool to room temperature, then transfer them to a bowl or storage container (be sure to include any of the richly flavored tomato oil that's left on the baking sheet). These can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator (bring to room temperature before using). You may keep the tomato halves whole or chop them up.
• Place the Garlic Confit and the softened goat cheese in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside until the eggplant is ready. The garlic goat cheese can be prepared the day before, but remove it from the refrigerator to soften before assembling the dish.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Combine the olive oil with the lemon juice, cumin, and a little salt and pepper.
• Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the seasoned oil and lay them out on a baking sheet. Bake about 5 minutes, then use a metal spatula to turn the slices and continue baking until eggplant is cooked through and is a light golden brown. Leave the oven turned on.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven. Lower the oven to 350°F. Loosen the slices with a spatula and let them cool. Spread each slice with about 2 tablespoons of the goat cheese mixture and roll up from the smaller end to the larger. If you like, tie each roulade with a blanched chive. Place the roulades on a baking sheet and, when you're about ready to serve, return them to the oven for 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve the roasted tomatoes alongside the roulades.

EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Arrange one fourth of eggplant slices in a layer in the bottom of the dish.
• Pour one fourth of pasta sauce on top of eggplant layer.
• Dot pasta sauce layer with one fourth of goat cheese slices.
• Repeat layers three more times with remaining ingredients, ending with a top layer of goat cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until pasta sauce is bubbling and goat cheese is melted, 45 to 60 minutes.

WILD MUSHROOM RAVIOLI WITH EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Place a pot of water on the stove to boil for pasta.
• Trim half of the skin from the eggplant. Leaving a little skin on will add color and texture to the dish. The small, firm eggplants are not too bitter and when they are firm, they will not soak up as much oil, so they do not need to be salted and pressed. However, if you leave all the skin, especially when you use baby eggplant, the skin overpowers the flavor of the flesh and the texture is too tough overall.
• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch-by-1/2 inch bite size pieces. Add 2 turns of extra-virgin olive oil to the pan, the garlic and the eggplant. Turn and toss the eggplant and season it with salt and pepper. Let it brown lightly at edges, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook.
• Add salt and ravioli to the pasta water and simmer to package directions, about 5 or 6 minutes, until just tender.
• While the pasta cooks, dice tomatoes and add them to the cooking eggplant. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Drain cooked pasta and plate individually or on a platter. Top with eggplant and tomatoes and all of the basil and cheese. If you plate individually, use 1/4 of the basil and 2 ounces of cheese, crumbled, per portion.