Recipe: A Decadent and Restorative Vegetarian Pasta to Make Your Own
Spicy, rich, and packed with flavor.
I love a pasta with all the bells and whistles—more is more, in my opinion. Every bite of this pasta is bursting with flavor from rich tomatoes, spicy soyrizo, caramelized onions, smoky cheese, and bright basil. My hope is that you use this recipe in the same way I prefer to make it: Have a base in mind, then intuitively add ingredients that sound good to you in the moment! Maybe you’re craving something simple (omit the soyrizo!) or even richer (add cream and and butter and sun-dried tomatoes and pesto and rotisserie chicken!). This pasta is yours for the taking. Enjoy! x
You will need:
16 ounces pasta (something that has grooves to hold sauce, like a penne or fusilli; I used the “Organic Fusilli Corti Bucati Pasta” from Trader Joe’s)
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
1 pint heirloom tomatoes
Soyrizo (I used Trader Joe’s)
10 ounces marinated eggplant, cut into bite-sized pieces with oil drained and reserved (I used Trader Joe’s Grecian Style Eggplant with Tomatoes and Onions)
1 head kale, ribs removed and chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to serve
Basil, loosely chopped or torn, to serve
Good, hard cheese (like Parmesan or Beaufort), to serve—or, by all means, add a bloop of burrata to each serving
How to make it:
Cook pasta in well-salted water according to instructions, until al dente. Drain, and set aside.
Add a glug of olive oil to a large pot over medium heat, then add the garlic. Cook until just fragrant, and just beginning to brown (it will happen quick!), then add in the tomato paste and onion, and cook until translucent and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to brown and burst—the juices will become the base of your sauce. Push mixture to the side of the pot, add a bit more olive oil, then add the soyrizo and break it up with a wooden spoon, then mix to incorporate it into the onion mixture. Add the marinated eggplant and kale to the mixture, cook until just wilted. Depending how thick this mixture is, you could add some water at this point (or even cream!). Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the pasta to the delicious tomato-y mixture, and stir in to incorporate. Serve and add some of the oil from the marinated eggplant, basil, red pepper flakes, and plenty of micro-grated cheese on top! Enjoy!
More vegetarian dishes PLZ! Can't wait to make this!!
Yessss savory breakfast FTW!