Spaghetti, Roasted Eggplant Cream Sauce

I vacillated over posting this recipe. It is not elegant. But I keep craving it. It is smokey, eggplanty, creamy, lemony, tangy, garlicky, unique…

Peter of Kalofagas and Marie of Proud Italian Cook this month both posted some awesome eggplant recipes. Fresh eggplant. Ooh eggplant, yes!
And you may recall I have a wonderful Croatian butcher, he carries some interesting side products, one of them is Roasted Eggplant in a jar from Bulgaria. On a recent visit to the butcher shop, a jar came home with me.

I heated a generous amount of olive oil in a sauce pan, added lots of shaved garlic and red pepper flakes and cooked until fragrant. Then add the drained-and-chopped roasted eggplant.

Finished the sauce with a hearty scoop of creme fraiche, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, lots of chopped parsley, salt and pepper then tossed it with spaghetti. (Topping it with Parmesan cheese would be a good idea, too).
OK, there it is. It might be even better with fresh roasted eggplant. That is why I hesitated with this post. But then I thought, no, this eggplant-in-a-jar recipe really is that good.
Aubergine Lovers: I would love to hear what you think…

14 thoughts on “Spaghetti, Roasted Eggplant Cream Sauce”

  1. Lori Lynn, the pasta looks fab and I can only guess roasting your own eggplant would win out each time.

    I loved the risotto I made in a similar way and I’m sure yours tasted alike.

    Thanks for the link and mention!

  2. I am going to dream about eggplants tonight. I don’t think I have ever seen roasted eggplant in a jar: interesting. The pasta looks great. Are you planning to try and roast eggplant for a future rendition?

  3. I wish I could GET eggplant in a jar here, but you’re right, when roasting is so easy. Ever tried halving small eggplants lengthwise, then slashing the flesh not quite to the peel and inserting thin slices of garlic. Lightly (very lightly) oil a baking tray, put the halves on cut-side down and roast at 375 until the little monkeys collapse. Scoop out the flesh, add a few toasted pine nuts. Va-va-voom. Is the jarred stuff available online?

  4. You never have to question anything you post Lori Lynn! Why not use products that you know for a fact are delicious? I’m all for that! I’d buy it just on your recommendation. All the ingredients together sound superb!
    Thanks for the mention! šŸ˜€

  5. I’ve never seen roasted eggplant in a jar but I’m sure it would make a great base for a pasta sauce.

    Any suggestions on how I would prepare the eggplant from fresh?

  6. Hi Peter – no, thank you for the inspiration!

    Hi Simona – Yes! I intend to make more dishes with fresh eggplant and more eggplant in a jar too.

    Oh, Jean – that sounds so easy, I will try it! Thanks!

    Thank you Marie.

    Hi Psychgrad – I think Jean’s method listed above sounds perfect. Or check out Peter’s post on eggplant risotto…

  7. Lori Lynn..eggplant cream sauce sounds devine!! The picture is so clean and beautiful..I’m glad you posted this. And eggplant always makes a glorious display. šŸ™‚

  8. Honestly, you do people like me a service by posting easy meals too! I love for my family to eat well, but I can’t spend all day in the kitchen. I never make “frozen” meals or go through any drive-thru so having a tasty, quick meal is ideal for me. I can tell that this pasta dish will be much-loved here & I’m going to look for a jar of roasted eggplant today! Thank you for sharing.

    xoxox Amy

  9. Hi Laurie – thanks, since I wavered, I am so glad to get a positive response. Appreciate that!

    Hi Amy – let me know how it they like it šŸ™‚

  10. Mmm… sounds like a wonderful dish, I am so glad you posted it! I do love that wonderful smokey taste you get from roasted eggplant and any excuse to cook more of it works for me!

  11. Don’t hesitate again. There are plenty of eggplant lovers out there. And the photo of the pasta looks amazing.

  12. Lori Lynn, this is my first time commenting, but I HAD to because I never thought I’d see something so strange (to me) yet wonderful-sounding as this eggplant sauce! Did you puree the whole mixture once it was cooked through and combined?

  13. Hi Muneeba – I am so sorry your comment fell through the cracks. Please email me and I’ll tell you all about it, but the short version is I just chopped the eggplant before it went into the pan, so it was a little chunky but not too much.
    LL

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