Eggplant Pasta With Anchovy Bread Crumbs and Capers

By Melissa Clark

Published September 27, 2022

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(386)
Comments
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In this colorful dish, there’s as much of the eggplant and tomato topping as there is pasta. They’re all tossed together with loads of garlicky, anchovy-imbued breadcrumbs and a hit of fresh basil or parsley. Serve it with a big salad of crisp lettuces for crunch. It’s a dish that’s good hot, warm or at room temperature, so you can make this recipe a little ahead of time if that works best for your kitchen flow.

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings

  • 1 ½ pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • ½ pound short pasta, such as shells or orecchiette

  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling and as needed

  • 12 anchovies, coarsely chopped

  • 8 garlic cloves, 3 grated or finely minced, 5 thinly sliced

  • 1 cup coarse dry bread crumbs, either panko or homemade

  • ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large

  • 2 tablespoons capers, drained

  • 1 cup torn fresh basil or parsley

  • 1 lemon, zested and halved

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 to 4 servings)

70 grams carbs; 18 milligrams cholesterol; 671 calories; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 37 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 902 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 10 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place eggplant in a bowl and sprinkle all over with salt; set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a pot of well-salted water, cook pasta according to the package directions until about 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain well, reserving some of the pasta water (about ⅔ cup is plenty). Lightly drizzle pasta with olive oil to prevent from sticking together.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm ¼ cup olive oil. Stir in about a quarter of the chopped anchovies and all of the grated garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in bread crumbs and sauté until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with a few grinds of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Scrape into a small bowl and set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Wipe out skillet (no need to wash it). Add ¼ cup olive oil and put it back over medium-high heat until oil thins out in the pan. Add enough eggplant to fit in one layer without overlapping. Without moving them around too much, cook eggplant until brown on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir and let them cook on the other side until browned and thoroughly soft, 3 to 7 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer eggplant to a large bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

  5. Step 5

    Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and stir in remaining anchovies, the sliced garlic and red-pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until garlic is pale gold at the edges (don’t let the garlic turn brown), 1 to 3 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Stir in tomatoes and capers. Cook until tomatoes just begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggplant, pasta and ¼ cup pasta water. Toss well, adding more pasta water if the mixture looks dry.

  7. Step 7

    Stir in basil and lemon zest. Squeeze half a lemon all over the pasta and toss. Taste and add more red-pepper flakes, salt or lemon juice to taste. Generously sprinkle bread crumbs on top of pasta and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
386 user ratings
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Comments

Susan

Cooking the eggplant and tomatoes on a sheet pan in the oven means you can use less oil and add a wonderful roasted flavor.

Fran Mazzara

A regular, a favorite...however we toast the breadcrumbs in the pan at the end, allowing them to absorb the flavors of all the ingrediants we just cooked in that pan. Adds an extra special touch, and taste, to the breadcrumbs.

Donna D

I haven't tried it, but was thinking finely chopped kalamata olives might work; my daughter is vegan, so I'm always thinking alternatives...

CLT worth trying again

It was good but could be great. For starters 1 in cubes seemed too big: took longer than suggested and wasn’t all the way done. I omitted about 3 of the anchovies and would do so again.

skyandstars

Roasting the eggplant uses less oil, just a brush on each side. Also, the eggplant is quietly cooking while you are sauteing, chopping, etc. Shortens the cook time, less oil.

skyandstars

Excellent, excellent! Using the best eggplant ( heavy for its size) helps. I've made this twice, once using all fresh ingredients, the second time, I only had a part of a fresh tomato and used a very good bottled ( R--'s) sauce to augment. Each time, I oven roasted the eggplant. Sliced 1/2" thick, brushed w EVOO, roasted at 400 x 12 min, flipped, brushed w oil & 12 more minutes. Coarsley chopped, these were added to the sauce ingredients. Don't forget to save the pasta water.!

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