Vegan Baba Ganoush Pasta Recipe
If you’ve got eggplant hanging out in your fridge, you have to try this vegan baba ganoush pasta. It’s so creamy and rich, with the slight nuttiness of tahini. Topped with toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley, this easy vegan weeknight dinner is going to quickly become a family favorite.
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Let’s Talk Baba Ganoush
Baba ganoush (also spelled baba ghanoush and baba ghanouj) comes to us from the Levantine cuisine. The etymology of the name is thought to translate to “spoiled old daddy”, which is enough to sell me on the dish. It is most often served as an appetizer or side, and used to dip pita in (not typically as a pasta sauce, that is a pretty unauthentic take). Baba ganoush is made with roasted eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, and other herbs and flavorings. It is rich and creamy, and varies somewhat regionally across Israel, Turkey, Armenia, and other countries where it’s enjoyed. While traditional baba ganoush is vegan, I’ve found that sometimes baba ganoush sold in stores contains sour cream or yogurt so make sure you check the ingredients if you’re going to be buying yours in store. But I really recommend making your own, it’s much creamier, fresher, and more delicious. The first baba ganoush I remember having was storebought, and I thought it was sort of strange and slimy- part of that was because I was a kid, but another part was certainly that baba ganoush that’s been sitting around in a container will never beat one you’ve freshly roasted yourself.
Looking for Eggplant Recipes? Try one of these!
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Looking for Easy Vegan Pasta Recipes? Try one of these!
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How to Make Vegan Baba Ganoush Pasta
I love how quickly this recipe comes together- it really is perfect for a weeknight, but especially if you put some toasted pine nuts on top, it looks so much fancier. If you wanted you could make the sauce ahead of time. Start by roasting your eggplant- you’ll need to poke holes in the skin, or else you risk your eggplant exploding in the oven (ask me how I know). Roast your eggplant under the oven’s broiler until the skin is blackened and the flesh is soft. For the safety of your hands, slice the eggplant open and let the steam out. Once cooled, transfer the eggplant to a food processor and add the remaining ingredients. Process until completely smooth, and then taste and adjust the ingredients to your taste. If you prefer, you can transfer the baba ganoush to an airtight container and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use or you can simply use right away. Cook your pasta and reserve a little bit of the pasta cooking water. Add the creamy, silky baba ganoush to the warm pasta, and use a little bit of the pasta cooking water to help the sauce loosen up enough to coat the noodles (pasta water especially needed if you refrigerated your sauce). Toss it all around well and serve up. I like to top mine with a sprinkle of za’atar, some fresh parsley, and a generous serving of toasted pine nuts. Enjoy!
Vegan Baba Ganoush Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb. eggplant (one large eggplant, or 2 medium-sized ones)
- 1 lb. fettucine pasta
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup tahini paste
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, loosely chopped
- 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- For serving, optional: toasted pine nuts
- For serving, optional: za’atar
- For serving, optional: additional chopped parsley
Instructions
- Use a fork to poke several holes in your eggplant, and put on a baking sheet. Turn the oven broiler on high, and place the baking sheet with the eggplant underneath. Roast until the skin blackens, and turn a quarter turn. Repeat until all the skin is charred and the flesh is soft. Remove from the oven, slice down the center, and let cool.
- Cook your pasta as directed on the box, reserving half a cup of the cooking water before draining. While the pasta cooks, scrape the cooled eggplant flesh into a food processor and add the olive oil, tahini, parsley, garlic, and the juice from the lemon. Blend until completely smooth, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pan. Transfer the eggplant sauce to the pan as well, and mix to coat the noodles, adding a little pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Serve warm, topping with toasted pine nuts, za’atar, and/or more fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
If you do need to reheat leftovers, add a small amount of water to the sauce and mix in well.
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