Eggplant
by: Eric Kim
August16,2019
4.6
23 Ratings
- Prep time 5 minutes
- Cook time 25 minutes
- Serves 1
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
As I started roasting eggplants more, I found that I could extend their life by tossing them with cooked spaghetti (a quarter pound is, I've found, the perfect portion for one). A couple more ingredients joined the party as I continued to perfect the dish: red pepper flakes for heat and rice vinegar for balance. The main ingredient here is, of course, the white miso—it adds that savory depth, made even better once fried in olive oil. If ever there were a dish you'd want to eat on repeat, then this umami-packed eggplant spaghetti must be it. —Eric Kim
Test Kitchen Notes
Featured in: The Umami-Packed Pasta I Cook When I’m Home Alone. —The Editors
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 1/2 poundJapanese eggplants (regular works, too), diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 medium red onion, thickly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoonsolive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoonswhite miso
- 2 teaspoonsmirin
- 1 teaspoonrice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoondark brown sugar
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1/4 poundspaghetti
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a quarter sheet pan, toss together the eggplant, red onion, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until charred at the edges.
- Meanwhile, in a small dish, stir together the miso, mirin, vinegar, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.
- About 15 minutes into the vegetables’ roasting time, bring a pot of water to a boil, salt generously, then cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Reserve some of the cooking liquid, then drain.
- In the same (still very hot!) pot over low heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and garlic and stir about 30 seconds, or until garlic is fragrant. Add the miso-mirin mixture, stirring 30 seconds more to caramelize miso and cook off the wine (it should bubble up violently). Toss the drained spaghetti into this, cooking over the heat and stirring constantly until well-coated in the garlicky miso. At this step you can add a splash of the reserved cooking liquid if your pasta gets too tight (I usually don’t need to but appreciate the insurance).
- Gently stir in the roasted eggplant and red onion. Garnish with scallions, if you'd like.
Tags:
- Pasta
- American
- Eggplant
- Miso
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Entree
See what other Food52ers are saying.
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Yogigirl
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Tanya Mur
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Mamasays
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Danielle Ma
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Courtney C
Eric Kim was the Table for One columnist at Food52. He is currently working on his first cookbook, KOREAN AMERICAN, to be published by Clarkson Potter in 2022. His favorite writers are William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway, but his hero is Nigella Lawson. You can find his bylines at The New York Times, where he works now as a writer. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ericjoonho.
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25 Reviews
Lynne H. August 7, 2023
So delicious - I would double the sauce next time though. I used locally made inkjet pasta w which was perfect with this, and I added roasted summer squashes. Delish.
Yogigirl July 21, 2022
Love this recipe. I made it again tonight but didn’t have scallions so I used cilantro. I have also sautéed the eggplant and onions with good results. I have added oil pack
Sun dried tomatoes. It is so yummy and the variations endless. I could eat it everyday. I use bucatini for maximum comfort food.
Santana June 1, 2022
Hi, I think have have the wrong video linked. It shows me zucchini and not eggplant.
Jordan B. July 29, 2023
this is becoming a common mistake on F52; placing an incorrect video tutorial as the highlight video for a recipe. It's frustrating bc I will watch the whole video and realize towards the end, it's a completely different recipe lol.
Food 52 admin can you help?
Nicole D. July 31, 2023
Thank you for the flag, I just removed it. There wasn't a video associated with this recipe.
Tanya M. January 2, 2022
Really enjoyed this - surprised I didn't see this recipe before. I doubled the recipe for two & added a red onion as others suggested. Also added a hint of cheese.
Next time I think I'll slice the eggplants into long thin slices rather than the chunks, and also cook the spaghetti a minute or two less than package directions.
Otherwise, amazing. Eric, your recipes are always winners & have been a major bright spot through the long pandemic - looking forward to buying your cookbook in the spring!
Tanya M. January 2, 2022
Oops - meant *red pepper* as others suggested.
Mamasays August 24, 2021
Delicious! Made with bucatini and Vidalia onions. Served with grilled bok choy. Even better the second day!!
Emily July 20, 2021
GORGEOUS. I'll definitely be making this again
TheBigVee May 17, 2021
Absolutely delicious! And so easy and straightforward to make. Loved it exactly as written — the eggplant and onion are a great combo — and can also see it working great with other roasted veg of choice. That miso sauce is perfect. Thanks, David!
Pamela B. September 8, 2020
Oh my, made it with orecchiette because I thought the shape lent itself to the pieces of eggplant. Heavenly!
Danielle M. April 10, 2020
I opted to cook the eggplant and onions on a pan instead but it still turned out beautifully. Eggplant and spaghetti is an unconventional combination for my family but we all loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Courtney C. April 7, 2020
This was so delicious - thank you! I added some arugula for green stuff and some parm (because cheese) and devoured.
JoAnn S. November 12, 2019
This is delicious! My family loved it! It is definitely on the rotation :)
trysteroo October 28, 2019
Made this for dinner tonight and it was like nothing I've ever had before. The flavors really all worked perfectly together. Absolutely making this again!
Leslie M. October 27, 2019
We doubled it - delicious, though the eggplant texture was a bit slimy. Maybe we'll roast it longer next time, just to seal those surfaces. Really delightful umami flavors nonetheless!
Tam October 19, 2019
I made it for two, doubled the recipe with the addition of a large red bell pepper, cut the red onion in to 1" thick chunks, roasted in two pans to avoid crowding. So GOOD. The red onion carmelized (some were burnt, but still tasty) and tasted like candy. Hearty meal, I will definitely make this again. Thank you.
Lisa L. October 10, 2019
OMG!!! I like pasta, but don't go crazy over it as some do. This is an outstanding recipe. And SO easy to put together. The sauce is very close to one I used to use when roasting black cod. It's a favorite flavor combination in my family. This will be a regular in my world; thank you!
Lynn September 7, 2019
Sounds yum-ami!
Darian August 30, 2019
Loved this! I made 12oz bucatini and roughly tripled the sauce (by eye), and used a regular eggplant and large red onion. This made 4 comfortable servings. It hit all the right notes and was very satisfying; so glad we tried it!
Maria J. August 28, 2019
Fantastic! I admit that, for 2 servings (could’ve probably been 3), I tripled the eggplant and onion (and oil), and doubled the sauce— I always want a higher proportion of veg to pasta. Utterly delicious, and truly one of the best eggplant anythings I’ve ever eaten. Most summers, I buy eggplant because it looks so fantastic, but I’ve never been wild about it; and we usually have one or two doses of Pasta alla Norma, which can range from sublime to dull, as I’ve never settled on a single recipe and it always comes out differently. I now know that I can just make this instead! THANK YOU!
Eric K. August 29, 2019
Aw, yay!
epicharis August 26, 2019
Oh, this was delicious. Eggplant and miso make such a good pairing and I love how it came together so quickly. A weeknight staple for sure.
Eric K. August 28, 2019
I'm so glad. Thanks for reporting back.
Kirsten L. December 31, 2019
I made this a few months ago and the flavors are still so strongly calling to me that I'm serving this deliciously je ne sais quoi entre tonight -- for New Year's Eve dinner. Thank you, Eric! You are a talented recipe wrangler! (I am, of course, doubling the recipe; but that worked fine the first time.)
