Cold pasta with cherry tomatoes and eggplants, an easy, quick, and delicious first course, perfect for summer. I used cherry tomatoes of different colors and varieties, added a bit of grated ricotta cheese, and flavored it with basil… while I cooked the eggplants in an air fryer to save time and use less oil. Try this recipe, it’s ready in minutes and great for any occasion!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 204.42 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 34.46 (g) of which sugars 8.58 (g)
- Proteins 7.11 (g)
- Fat 4.62 (g) of which saturated 0.51 (g)of which unsaturated 0.47 (g)
- Fibers 5.07 (g)
- Sodium 446.01 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 6 oz pasta
- 1 eggplant
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (red and yellow)
- grated ricotta (to taste)
- basil
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Tools
- Pot
- Colander
- Bowl
- Air Fryer
- Grater
Preparation
Wash the eggplant, remove the ends, and cut it into cubes.
Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt, mix, and place the cubes in the basket of the air fryer (you can use parchment paper if you want).
Cook at 392°F for 15 minutes, stirring with a spoon a couple of times. When the cubes are tender, transfer them to a bowl and let cool.
Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted boiling water, drain it, and rinse under a short stream of cold water to stop the cooking.
Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into pieces.
In the bowl with the eggplants, combine the (now cold) pasta and cherry tomatoes. Add some basil leaves, adjust with salt and pepper, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Finally, grate some ricotta to taste, and mix everything.
Cold pasta with cherry tomatoes and eggplants is ready; you can serve it immediately or let it rest in the refrigerator.
Tips and Notes
You can omit the ricotta, or replace it with feta or another fresh cheese.
You can flavor the dressing with a clove of chopped garlic.
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can brown the eggplants in a pan or bake them in the oven, spread out well on a baking sheet.
You can use your preferred pasta shape, even whole-grain or legume-based.
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