Sicilian-style pasta with tuna and eggplant, made with canned tuna, an easy and quick first course that leaves everyone happy and satisfied! This is not the ordinary pasta with tuna and eggplant, but much more! In fact this appetizing dish, besides containing all the scents of the Mediterranean, features eggplant, cherry tomatoes, tuna, capers, raisins and white wine and is enriched with the muddica atturrata, the famous “poor man’s cheese”. The tasty eggplant recipes are all delicious and this is one of my favorites; in fact it’s not only easy but also tasty and is ready in very little time: do you want to make it with me? Then let’s hurry to the kitchen and you’ll see how delicious it is. But first, as always, I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my other recipes, you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.
Take a look:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients for Sicilian-style tuna and eggplant pasta
I prepared the recipe with canned tuna, but you can also make it with fresh tuna cut into cubes and quickly seared in a non-stick pan for a couple of minutes before adding it to the sauce.
- 1 eggplant (large)
- 1 onion (about 4 oz (120 g))
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (about 5 oz (150 g))
- 2 oz Taggiasca olives
- 3 tbsp raisins
- 2 tsp capers
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 lb pasta
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 2 fillets anchovy fillets in oil (or desalinated)
Tools
- Pans
- Pots
Steps to make Sicilian-style tuna and eggplant pasta
For this recipe I decided to let the eggplants drain some of their natural water, so I left them to rest for 10 minutes with salt. This way the eggplants didn’t fall apart when cooked, but if you don’t have time you can omit this step and the result will still be excellent. Also, to make the pasta even more appetizing, add a crunchy note with muddica atturrata and you’ll see how delicious it is!
Peel the eggplants. Cut them into cubes, and collect them in a colander,
sprinkle with a little salt and wait for them to release part of their natural moisture. After about thirty minutes, rinse them thoroughly with clean water or under running water to remove the excess salt. Squeeze them by hand and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
Peel, rinse and coarsely chop the onion, put it in a pan and let it soften over low heat. Add the eggplant cubes to the onions, and cook over medium heat stirring often, until the eggplants are tender and golden.
Add the olives, the desalted capers and the cherry tomatoes, rinsed and quartered.
Once flavored, add the drained tuna, mix, pour in the wine and let it evaporate before adding the raisins. Cook for another minute and turn off the heat.
Add the pasta cooked until still al dente. Toss with a little cooking water, plate and serve immediately, sprinkled with muddica atturrata (recipe below).
Pour a little oil into a pan, add the anchovy and let it dissolve, add the breadcrumbs and toast them over high heat, stirring often and taking care they don’t burn. When they turn golden brown the “muddica atturrata” will be ready to use (any leftover can be stored in the fridge for two weeks in an airtight container).
Storage and tips
Storage and tips
The pasta with tuna and eggplant should be enjoyed immediately, but if you have leftovers store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours and reheat in a pan over high heat with a little oil before eating. It won’t be as good as just made, but it will still be tasty.
You can also add a handful of Grana Padano or Parmigiano to the pasta and it will be even better.
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