Main Dishes
Salt and pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian eggplant, peeled and chopped into ¼-inch pieces (4 packed cups)
6 ounces cremini (or white button) mushrooms, finely chopped (2 cups)
½ cup finely chopped white onion
½ cup finely chopped carrot
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups mushroom broth (or vegetable stock)
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, crushed with your hands
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 basil sprig, plus chopped basil for garnishing
1 pound rigatoni, fusilli or other short pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high.
In a large Dutch oven or other heavy lidded pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high. Add half of the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, 5 minutes. Transfer eggplant to a plate. Adjust heat to medium and repeat with 2 tablespoons of the oil and the remaining eggplant, transferring the eggplant to the plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the mushrooms to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally to scrape up any browned bits, until golden, 5 minutes. Add onion and carrot, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 3 minutes. Adjust heat to low, add garlic and tomato paste and stir until caramelized, about 2 minutes.
Stir in broth, tomatoes, oregano, basil sprig and the browned eggplant, then bring to a boil over medium-high. Cover, adjust heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender, 15 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring and mashing half of the eggplant, until sauce is thickened, 2 minutes.
While the sauce comes to a boil, drop pasta in the boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
Add pasta, butter and ½ cup of the pasta water to the eggplant mixture and cook, stirring vigorously, until pasta is nicely coated and mixture is saucy, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide pasta among bowls. Top with chopped basil and cheese; serve warm.