Rigatoni with Eggplant Bolognese Recipe | Foodal (2024)

Hear ye, hear ye! This is not – I repeat not – a vegetarian version of meat sauce.

Don’t let the title of the recipe fool you into thinking this traditionally-beefy Bolognese sauce is made sans meat. Ground beef is fully present in this production, it just happens to get scooted over from center stage a bit to give the veggies a chance to shine.

And if you think like me, you know that all of the above only means one thing:

We don’t need to serve a salad with dinner!

I mean, to each his own, so feel free to enjoy every bite of this Bolognese alongside a garlicky Caesar salad if that’s your thing. But for me, when I can squeeze a good amount of veggies into the main course, that means one less healthy side is required, which ultimately means less dishes too.

If that doesn’t make this one-hour dinner appealing, I don’t know what will.

Well, other than the fact it’s also an opportunity for enjoying garlic bread. It’s a tough job, to be a leading member of the clean plate club. But someone has to swipe up every last drop of sauce with a crusty baguette.

If you clicked on this recipe and were really stoked on the idea of subbing the meat in traditional meat sauce for meaty eggplant, don’t worry. No one’s going to come into your kitchen and dump any beef into your sauce.

That’d be weird.

Skip the meat and double the eggplant for a vegetarian version of this dish. Or go one step further and sub a vegan protein in for the meat and leave out the parmesan for a fully vegan meal.

As for me, I’m keeping the meat.

The main reason is because I adore the fatty flavor it leaves in the pan just before the veggies take a dip. Eggplant soaks up liquid like a sponge, so you better believe that as soon as it hits that rendered beef juice, it’s game on in flavor town.

If you really want to lean in to the classic Bolognese, a combination of beef and pork is commonly used. Today, we’re keeping things on the simple side.

Carrots are a quintessential Bolognese sauce ingredient celebrated for adding a touch of sweetness, which cuts through the fat of the sumptuous sauce. This recipe calls on earthy eggplant and zucchini for even more flavor and texture. The veggies bring substance to the sauce, not to mention some nutritional added benefits. Check out zucchini’s rap sheet here.

As the eggplant stews during simmertime (my favorite season), the cubes become sweet, rich flavor nuggets that are weaved into every bite. Loads of fragrant basil bring the fresh vegetal notes full circle, and salty parmesan adds sharpness.

Pasta shape and size is typically personal preference, but I’m begging you to choose rigatoni for this meal. Larger than penne, these wide-barreled noodles are slightly curved and act as little lifeboats for your eggplant Bolognese.

As for their exterior ridges? Simply an additional space where the sauce lives rent-free, for your enjoyment!

I don’t know anything about real estate, but I’ll appraise this Bolognese if you don’t have the time…

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Gather, Prep, and Measure Ingredients

If you can only find smaller eggplant that weigh about 5 ounces each, you’ll want to use 3 small ones in place of the large eggplant called for in this recipe.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, and slice it lengthwise into 1/2-inch slabs. Stack the slabs on top of each other, slice lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips, and then cut those into 1/2-inch cubes.

Chop the onion. Dice the carrot and zucchini. Mince the garlic and roughly chop the basil. Keep some of the smaller leaves for garnish.

Step 2 –Brown the Beef

Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Let it warm up.

Add the ground beef, season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, and cook until it’s browned, making sure to break up the meat with a spoon so it cooks evenly. This will take about 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon so you can keep the fat in the pan for cooking the veggies, set the ground beef aside on a plate.

Step 3 – Cook the Veggies

Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan. This may seem like a lot of fat, but the veggies – particularly the eggplant – will soak it up quickly. Give the oil a few minutes to heat up.

Add the eggplant, onion, carrot, and zucchini, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the oregano. Stirring occasionally to make sure everything is cooking evenly, saute until the veggies have taken on a little color and are softened, for about 3 minutes.

Step 4 – Add the Aromatics and Tomatoes

Stir in the garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds or until it’s fragrant. Don’t allow the garlic to burn.

Stir in the tomato paste so it coats the veggies and heats through, to concentrate the natural sugars that it contains, for about 1 minute.

White wine (though you could use red) and cream or milk are common ingredients in an American-style Bolognese, so feel free to use a quarter to half a cup of wine to deglaze the pan in this step if you like, before adding the canned tomatoes. About 1/3 cup of milk or cream can be stirred in just before serving if you opt to use that, for a richer sauce.

Deglaze the pan with the crushed and diced tomatoes, scraping the bottom to release any brown bits that are stuck. Stir the beef back into the sauce.

Step 5 – Simmer the Sauce and Cook the Rigatoni

Season the sauce with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring the sauce to a boil, with a tilted lid on top if you need it, to prevent any unexpected splatters.

Cover the sauce with the lid, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally to make sure the bottom isn’t burning. This took about 30 minutes for me.

While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni according to package instructions. Before draining in a colander, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water and set it aside. This will be used to help the sauce cling to the noodles.

Step 6 – Toss the Rigatoni and Sauce, Garnish, and Serve

Using either the pasta pot as your vessel or the pan containing the sauce, depending on its size, toss the cooked pasta, 1/4 cup of the parmesan, and the basil together.

Add the reserved starchy cooking water a few tablespoons at a time while you toss, to help everything come together. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Divide the pasta among plates, making sure you’re generous with the sauce and spooning a little extra over the top of each serving. Garnish with the remaining parmesan and basil, and serve with extra grated parmesan alongside.