Sun-Dried Tomato Eggplant Pasta

Last updated on January 26th, 2026

I’m always looking to challenge myself and I’ve never cooked with sun-dried tomatoes before or eggplant! I gave it a go and wow, this was stunning! This Sun-Dried Tomato Eggplant Pasta was buttery, garlicky, and full of surprises! The flavor profile was so complex! You get the tender veggies, the little hint of spice, the long pasta to twirl around your fork – the little salty punch of feta! It was so unique and unlike anything I’ve ever had or seen before! Eggplant is extremely underrated! My husband said it was like a restaurant dish, which made me feel really proud! This was also really easy to make, and my kids loved it!

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What ingredients do I need for this pasta?

Spaghetti
Eggplant
Onion
Spinach
Garlic
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Reserved Pasta Water
Butter
Olive Oil
Feta Cheese
Salt
Italian Seasoning
Black Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes

For serving:

Feta
Parsley

How do I make it?

To prep the eggplant:

The very first step is to add your diced and deseeded eggplant to a large bowl and sprinkle some salt on it. Shake it up and sprinkle a little more to ensure all pieces get salted. Then let it sit for a while.

This helps to take the bitterness out of the eggplant which is really important for this recipe!

To make the sun-dried tomato eggplant pasta:

In a large pot, boil some water with a touch of salt and oil in it, and start cooking pasta to package instructions. Be sure to reserve some starchy pasta water before draining!

Take out a large deep skillet and heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the eggplant to the pan and sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add butter, onion, sun-dried tomatoes with the oil from them, and all seasonings. Turn heat to medium-low and cook a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Carefully fold in cooked pasta, then slowly pour in pasta water, stirring as you incorporate. Stir in the spinach and cook a few minutes more until spinach has wilted.

To serve:

Remove from heat, sprinkle in the feta and give everything a good stir! Serve Sun-Dried Tomato Eggplant Pasta hot with additional feta and fresh parsley for garnish. Enjoy!

Tips:

• You don’t have to remove the seeds from the eggplant, but I would recommend it to ensure it doesn’t turn out bitter. Instead of scooping the seeds out of it, you can dice the eggplant and then grab the seedy bits and throw those away. The darker the seeds in color, the more bitter it will taste. Dice your eggplant by first cutting the ends off. Then cut it into rounds, then dice it from there.
• The feta brings a nice salty touch to this dish. If you don’t like feta, you can skip it, but I would add about 1/2 tsp more salt to enhance the flavors in the pasta.
• The eggplant brings a meatiness to this dish while being meatless, which makes this a great vegetarian option. However, if you’d like to add meat, you certainly can! Try adding some grilled chicken breast or sautéed shrimp!

Need some vegetarian inspo? Check these recipes out!

• Strawberry Salad
• Veggie Wrap with Basil Tzatziki
• Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

Sun-Dried Tomato Eggplant Pasta

The Wholesome Spoon

I’m always looking to challenge myself and I’ve never cooked with sun-dried tomatoes before or eggplant! I gave it a go and wow, this was stunning! This Sun-Dried Tomato Eggplant Pasta was buttery, garlicky, and full of surprises! The flavor profile was so complex! You get the tender veggies, the little hint of spice, the long pasta to twirl around your fork – the little salty punch of feta! It was so unique and unlike anything I’ve ever had or seen before! Eggplant is extremely underrated! My husband said it was like a restaurant dish, which made me feel really proud! This was also really easy to make, and my kids loved it!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 455 kcal

Equipment

• Large Skillet
• Stockpot
• Strainer
• Cutting Board
• Chef Knife
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Spatula
• Mixing Bowl

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb spaghetti noodles cooked to package instructions
• 1 large eggplant deseeded and diced
• 1 yellow onion roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 cups spinach
• ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes + 1 tbsp oil from the jar
• ½ cup reserved pasta water
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 oz feta cheese
• 1 tsp salt + more for the eggplant
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Optional garnishes:

• feta
• parsley

Instructions

 

To prep the eggplant:

• The very first step is to add your diced and deseeded eggplant to a large bowl and sprinkle some salt on it. Shake it up and sprinkle a little more to ensure all pieces get salted.
• Let it sit for 30 minutes. This helps to take the bitterness out of the eggplant which is really important for this recipe!

To make the sun-dried tomato eggplant pasta:

• In a large pot, boil some water with a touch of salt and oil in it, and start cooking pasta to package instructions. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water before draining!
• Next, heat olive oil on medium heat in a large deep skillet.
• Add the eggplant to the pan and sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Next add butter, onion, sun-dried tomatoes with the oil from them, and all seasonings. Turn heat to medium-low and cook another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then carefully fold in cooked pasta.
• Slowly pour in pasta water, stirring as you incorporate, then stir in spinach.
• Cook for 2 minutes more until spinach has wilted.
• Remove from heat, then stir in the feta.
• Serve Sun-Dried Tomato Eggplant Pasta hot with additional feta and fresh parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 2cupsCalories: 455kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 11gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 650mgPotassium: 250mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1350IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 2.5mg

Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide

Keyword Easy Pasta, Eggplant Pasta, Recipes with Eggplant, Recipes with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Vegetarian Dinner Recipes, Vegetarian Pasta

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