Embark on a culinary journey with our delectable Rigatoni with Eggplant, Mushrooms, and Goat Cheese. This vegetarian pasta dish is a symphony of flavors and textures, featuring tender rigatoni enveloped in a creamy goat cheese sauce, complemented by savory roasted eggplant, earthy mushrooms, and a hint of spice.
In the first recipe, we'll guide you through the classic preparation of this dish, using fresh ingredients and simple techniques to create a hearty and satisfying meal. For those seeking a vegan alternative, we offer a second recipe that swaps out the goat cheese for a luscious cashew cream sauce, delivering a rich and creamy texture without compromising on flavor.
Additionally, we've included a collection of inspiring variations to cater to diverse preferences and dietary needs. Discover how to incorporate sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, or roasted red peppers into the dish, or explore gluten-free options using alternative pasta choices. Whether you're a seasoned cook or just starting your culinary adventures, this versatile recipe provides endless possibilities to create a pasta dish that's uniquely yours.
CHEESY EGGPLANT AND RIGATONI BAKE
Put on your cozy pants and get comfortable with a giant bowl of this cheesy, eggplant-studded pasta. Don't be shy about adding plenty of reserved pasta cooking water to the sauce; it's the magical ingredient that creates a silky sauce and keeps the pasta moist while baking. A little grated ricotta salata to finish adds a slight tangy bite that rounds everything out - but, truthfully, more Parmesan or any firm, salted cheese will do.
Provided by Sue Li
Categories dinner, pastas, main course
Time 1h15m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook rigatoni according to package instructions but keep it slightly more al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water, then drain and rinse pasta under cold water, and transfer to a large bowl while you cook the eggplant.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium. Add half the eggplant, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until golden brown on all sides, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the rigatoni. Repeat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and remaining eggplant and transfer to the bowl.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in red-pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Cook until the tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water, adding up to 1 1/2 cups as needed to create a silky sauce.
- If the skillet is large enough, add the rigatoni and eggplant mixture, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup basil and toss to coat. Otherwise, add the tomato sauce, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup basil to the large bowl with the rigatoni and eggplant, toss to coat and then return to the skillet or transfer to a greased baking dish.
- Top with remaining 3 cups mozzarella and bake until the sauce is bubbling on the sides and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Top with grated ricotta salata and torn fresh basil to serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 557, UnsaturatedFat 14 grams, Carbohydrate 57 grams, Fat 26 grams, Fiber 8 grams, Protein 25 grams, SaturatedFat 10 grams, Sodium 880 milligrams, Sugar 10 grams
EGGPLANT AND MUSHROOM RIGATONI
Whole wheat rigatoni is tossed in rich, flavorful eggplant and mushroom tomato sauce. Red wine and balsamic vinegar add a really nice flavor to the sauce.
Provided by Jeni Hernandez
Categories Entree
Time 55m
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- In a large deep saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggplant and mushrooms. Cook for 10-14 minutes, occasionally stirring.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato pasta and stir. Cook for one minute.
- Add the oregano and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine; cook until most of the wine has been absorbed.
- Add the balsamic vinegar and tomatoes. Use the back of a spoon the break apart the tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, make the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water.
- Cook the pasta according to package direction.
- Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Set aside.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the tomato sauce. Pour in the reserved cooking liquid. Gently toss to combine.
- Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Serve with fresh herbs.
RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND GOAT CHEESE
While this recipe is delicious as is, you can do a couple of things to give it even more flavor. Use a combination of spicy and sweet sausage instead of just sweet and--something I do almost every time I use goat cheese--use a fork to mix into it 1/2 teaspoon each of chopped fresh parsley, chives, and thyme.
Provided by Scott Conant
Categories main-dish
Time 40m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage and use a fork to crumble the sausage into the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high, and fully cook the sausage, adding some of the pasta water to deglaze the pan.
- Cook the rigatoni until just shy of al dente. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.
- Add the pasta to the pan with the sausage, reserving the cooking liquid, and add the parsley. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook, tossing, until the spinach has wilted. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid, if needed. Remove from the heat. Crumble the goat cheese with a fork and add it along with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add a bit more of the cooking liquid if needed and serve.
RIGATONI WITH ITALIAN EGGPLANT
Provided by Food Network
Time 1h12m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook. Continue stirring until softened, about 3 more minutes.
- Add tomatoes, with liquid, breaking them up with the back of spoon. Stir in wine, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Bring large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente; drain. Toss pasta with sauce in pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Serve on a large platter and top with grated Romano cheese.
BAKED RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT AND SAUSAGE
Provided by Tyler Florence
Categories main-dish
Time 1h15m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Get yourself a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
- Heat a 2 count of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add a generous 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.
- Add another 2 count of oil to the skillet, then your onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.
- By this time your pasta water will be boiling. Add the rigatoni, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
WILD MUSHROOM RAVIOLI WITH EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE
Provided by Rachael Ray : Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 25m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
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.
CHEESY RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT SAUCE
Looking for a simple meatless main dish? Try this hearty casserole of pasta and veggies. It's ready in less than an hour.
Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Entree
Time 50m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12x8-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, using minimum cook time.
- Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion, eggplant and zucchini in oil 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Spoon cooked pasta into baking dish. Spoon vegetable sauce over pasta.
- Cover tightly with foil; bake 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 7 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 540, Carbohydrate 71 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Fat 2, Fiber 8 g, Protein 25 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, ServingSize 1 Serving (2 Cups), Sodium 1000 mg, Sugar 11 g, TransFat 0 g
RIGATONI WITH GOAT CHEESE
When it's too to cook, just toss pasta with a little cheese and whatever else you have on hand.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Pasta and Grains
Time 25m
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Cook rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
- Return pasta to pot, and toss with goat cheese and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, and add some of the reserved pasta water as desired. Sprinkle with preferred topping, and serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 452 g, Fat 14 g, Protein 21 g
RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT, MUSHROOMS AND GOAT CHEESE
Delicious and hearty rigatoni, eggplant, mushrooms and goat cheese, all mixed together and served hot.
Provided by ATHOM73
Categories Eggplant Recipes
Time 55m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggplant, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth and olives. Season with thyme, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender. Toss with pasta and goat cheese.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 572.1 calories, Carbohydrate 74.2 g, Cholesterol 29.9 mg, Fat 22.9 g, Fiber 8.6 g, Protein 22.7 g, SaturatedFat 9.5 g, Sodium 1110 mg, Sugar 6.9 g
RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT, MUSHROOMS AND GOAT CHEESE
Delicious and hearty rigatoni, eggplant, mushrooms and goat cheese, all mixed together and served hot.
Provided by Anne Thompson
Categories Eggplant Recipes
Time 55m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggplant, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth and olives. Season with thyme, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender. Toss with pasta and goat cheese.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 572.1 calories, Carbohydrate 74.2 g, Cholesterol 29.9 mg, Fat 22.9 g, Fiber 8.6 g, Protein 22.7 g, SaturatedFat 9.5 g, Sodium 1110 mg, Sugar 6.9 g
Tips:
- For the best flavor, use fresh eggplant and mushrooms.
- If you don't have goat cheese, you can substitute another type of soft cheese, such as ricotta or feta.
- To make the dish more creamy, add a little bit of milk or cream to the sauce.
- If you like spicy food, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Serve the dish immediately, garnished with fresh parsley or basil.
Conclusion:
This rigatoni with eggplant, mushrooms, and goat cheese is a delicious and easy-to-make vegetarian dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. The combination of flavors and textures in this dish is amazing, and the goat cheese adds a creamy richness that takes it to the next level. If you're looking for a new vegetarian recipe to try, this is definitely one to add to your list.
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