Either I was really hungry or this was the best pasta dish I have ever put together. I am embarrassed to say I scarfed it down and went back for seconds. With eggplant, early girl tomatoes, freshly made breadcrumbs, and sardines packed in oil, I can’t really determine what the secret ingredient was that sent this dish over the edge. They all just worked together.

I had been looking for a great way to highlight summer vegetables in a pasta dish and when I ran across Mark Bittman’s recipe on his blog, Bitten, I knew I had found it. If you aren’t familiar with Mark Bittman it might be a good idea to add a couple of his cookbooks to your shelf. His recipes are always simple, straightforward, and delicious.

This dish will be a real treat if you’ve never had a sprinkle of breadcrumbs over your pasta. The breadcrumbs lend a bit of crunch and a lovely texture; in this case, you almost get an eggplant parm feel without all of the frying. For those of you wrinkling your nose at the mention of sardines, you have to give them another try. I bought a tin of wild caught sardines packed in olive oil and they were outstanding (not to mention a great source of omega-3’s).

Late Summer Linguine (adapted from Bitten)
(4 servings)

•    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for garnish)
•    ½ cup onion, minced
•    ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like heat)
•    Sea salt
•    2 garlic cloves, minced
•    3 cups eggplant (from 1-2 small/medium eggplants), ½ inch chunks
•    1 pound linguine
•    3 cups tomatoes (from 4-6 small tomatoes), cored, ½ inch chunks
•    2 cups sardines packed in oil (2 4-ounce tins), drained and chopped
•    1 cup fresh bread crumbs for garnish
•    ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish
•    Fresh basil or parsley for garnish, chopped

Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.

Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil has come up to temperature, add the onion, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of sea salt. Sauté for 3 minutes (until the onion has become translucent). Add the garlic and the eggplant and a pinch of sea salt. Sauté for 10-15 minutes until the eggplant is tender and has browned.

When the eggplant is brown, tender, and beautiful, add the linguine to the boiling water with a generous pinch of sea salt.  Add the tomatoes to the eggplant mixture and cook until they soften, about 10 minutes. When the linguine is al dente (tender but retains a bit of bite), drain and toss it with the tomato and eggplant sauce, making sure all ingredients are well incorporated.

Plate the linguine and garnish with the sardines, bread crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano and herbs. Drizzle with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

More Eggplant and Pasta Combinations:

Eggs on Sunday: Pasta alla Norma

Cooking with Amy: Eggplant Parmesan

Simply Recipes: Pasta Primavera

Smitten Kitchen: Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree