An Italian vegetarian dish built on whole ingredients.

Servings: 4
Active time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min

Organic sourcing

Eggplants and tomatoes are best sourced organically as they often have pesticide residues. Basil is also worth choosing organic for freshness and flavor.

Ingredients

• 400 g short pasta (like rigatoni or penne)
• 2 medium eggplants
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 400 g ripe tomatoes
• 100 g ricotta salata cheese
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
• to taste sea salt
• to taste freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Trim the eggplants and cut them into 1 cm cubes.
2. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the eggplant cubes and cook until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
4. Peel and dice the tomatoes. Mince the garlic cloves.
5. In the same skillet, add remaining olive oil and sauté garlic until fragrant.
6. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes until they break down into a sauce.
7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain.
8. Add the cooked eggplant back to the tomato sauce and stir to combine.
9. Mix the pasta with the sauce, eggplant, and half of the basil leaves.
10. Serve with grated ricotta salata and garnish with the remaining basil. Season with salt and pepper after serving.

Notes

• Ricotta salata is a firm, salted and aged ricotta. Substitute with feta if unavailable.
• For a richer flavor, briefly fry basil leaves until crisp.

Source

Paraphrased from the culinary canon by Organic.is editors, 2026. Classic Italian recipe. If you'd like a specific source for further reading, ask Tinni (bottom-right) for a book recommendation.