Have you ever had a last minute change of plans and had to whip up an easy dinner with whatever you had in your kitchen?  I have no doubt your answer is yes.

This is what happened to me recently.  The plan was to go out for dinner, but Neil wasn’t feeling too well and we had to cancel.  I was not in the mood for take-away but neither did I have the energy or desire to slave away over the oven.  So, I decided I would make a quick plate of pasta.  I rummaged in my freezer and found frozen aubergines.  I love aubergines.  I’m at my happiest when we are holidaying in Italy.  Italians whip up the most delicious plates of pasta, pizzas and antipasti with aubergines.  Their dishes are so simple, and yet taste so divine!

To honour my love for aubergines and Italian cuisine, I Googled ‘pasta melanzane’.  I came across this aubergine pasta recipe from www.academiabarilla.it, which I simplified and followed.

Pasta with white aubergine sauce

15 minTotal Time

Yields 3 servings

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Ingredients

  • 400 g aubergines (frozen, defrosted)
  • 40 g parmesan (grated)
  • 500 g pasta
  • 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1 handful basil (fresh)
  • 30 ml water
  • 10 g pine nuts (toasted)
  • parsley (to garnish)

Instructions

  1. Blend the aubergines together with the basil.  Add the 30ml water to make your mixture a little looser.
  2. Season with salt and pepper.  Add 30g of the parmesan and mix.
  3. In the meantime, cook the pasta as per package instructions.
  4. Lightly fry the garlic in a tablespoon of the olive oil.  When fragrant, add the aubergine mixture to the pan.  Stir, and leave the mixture to warm up on a low flame.
  5. When the pasta is cooked, drain and stir in with the aubergine mixture.  Add the remaining olive oil.
  6. Plate.  Top with the toasted pine nuts and parsley.

Notes

This recipe may be served warm or cold as a pasta salad.

The aubergine mix may be frozen.

Nutrition

Calories

1708 cal

Fat

85 g

Carbs

208 g

Protein

44 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
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https://www.themamamanual.com/2018/07/13/pasta-with-white-aubergine-sauce/

the Mama Manual - blending aubergines

Blending the aubergines

the Mama Manual - pine nuts

Pine nuts – something I always keep stock of!

the Mama Manual - aubergine pasta

The final dish

This aubergine pasta dish was gobbled up my two kids, who are not fans of aubergine in any other way, shape or form!  It is a great way to ‘hide’ veggies in the gorgeous pasta sauce.

Enjoy!

Nakita xxx