Hello summer vegetable heaven! This tomato and eggplant sauce is a great way to use extra tomatoes from the farmers market or garden! Normally when I make tomato sauce from scratch (like my Perfect 5 Ingredient Tomato Sauce) I used canned tomatoes… but I was craving pasta and I had a pile of fresh garden tomatoes that needed to be used quickly, and this sauce was born.
This was also the first year we are growing eggplants in the garden, and they are absolutely stunning vegetables! Our honey bees sure love them.
This Tomato and Eggplant Sauce Recipe Is:
- Creamy
- Garlicky
- Savory
- Flavorful
- Healthy
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- Paleo
- Whole30 approved
A Creamy Low Calorie Pasta Sauce Everyone Will Love!
The texture of this sauce is fantastic- its thick like an alfredo and sticks to the pasta really well. Unlike traditional pasta sauces that are loaded with olive oil and cream, this sauce is made from roasted vegetables. I added cashews into the sauce which gave it a little extra creaminess, and the soft roasted eggplant really melted into the sauce. You can use any high speed blender for this, or even an immersion blender which would give the sauce a little extra heartiness from the larger pieces of vegetables.
The fresh basil in this recipe makes ALL the difference! We have a ton of basil in our garden which is great to pick and chop into the sauce. But if you don’t have any growing around, I highly recommend adding it… its not just a garnish, it really takes the pasta to a new level.
What’s In This Creamy Tomato Eggplant Pasta Sauce Recipe?
- Eggplant
- Tomatoes – I used fresh in-season summer tomatoes, but you can use canned if it’s winter.
- Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry. For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
- Onion
- Garlic
- Italian Seasoning Blend: usually has thyme, basil, rosemary, parsley, etc. I love this bright and flavorful Italian season mix which brings this amazing dish to life.
- Milk – I used unsweetened Almond Milk for my version of this recipe. I prefer almond milk, which Silk has a shelf-stable version that lasts up to a year in the pantry!
- Red Chili Pepper Flakes: for a little heat! I like to add a few shakes to this recipe to give this dish a nice complex depth of flavor.
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt: I like to use a pink Himalayan Sea Salt in my kitchen, which has more natural minerals than plain processed table salt. It’s fairly inexpensive, so I’d recommend this salt if you’re looking for an easy way to level up your spice pantry.
- Tellicherry Peppercorns: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper. Amazon has a generic brand tellicherry peppercorn which is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor… so I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend.
Meal Prep Eggplant Recipes for the WIN!
One final note: this recipe makes a LOT of sauce – about 8-10 cups which is enough for 2 whole boxes of pasta… So I recommend saving half for later. I put mine in an air tight mason jar and will be enjoying it later this week! I am a huge fan of meal prepping, batch cooking, and making recipes ahead. Nothing beats convenience of cooking once and being able to enjoy healthy homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time. There’s a whole section of TheHerbeevore.com dedicated to my favorite tried & true meal prep recipes. With just a little planning and prep, you can have a week’s worth of recipes ready in the time it would take to make one portion. Just batch cook, divide into individual containers, and place in the fridge or freezer for later! I also made a list of my favorite meal prep products on Amazon that I use weekly. They make cooking easy peasy.
How Do I Make Roasted Tomato Eggplant Sauce?
- Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit
- In a large oven pan add the tomatoes, onion, eggplant, and garlic. Cover with olive oil and spices, and mix well.
- Roast the veggies in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until eggplant begins to brown and tomatoes begin to soften.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to packaging directions – make sure to salt the water!
- In a sauce pan, heat the almond milk until it begins to warm.
- Add the milk, cashews, and roasted vegetables to a blender, and blend on high until combined. Taste for seasoning.
- Once pasta is cooked and drained, toss HALF of the sauce with the sauce and top with fresh basil
- Save the other half of the sauce (should be about 4-5 cups) for later in the week. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and use within 5 days
More Healthy Vegan Tomato Recipes You’ll Love!
Tomato Basil Chickpea Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Vegan Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta Recipe (Nut Free, Dairy Free)
30 Minute Roasted Tomato Chickpea Soup Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Corn and Zucchini Minestrone Soup Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free, Minestra)
Bruschetta Quinoa Salad Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Get the Same Ingredients I Use For My Creamy Vegan Eggplant Pasta Sauce Recipe!
I got the fresh produce for this recipe from my Misfits Market box – they sell all organic produce at a very discounted price, and purchase right from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every month and love the seasonal variety. You can get $10 off your first box by clicking here!
As always, if you make this vegan and gluten free tomato eggplant sauce recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Creamy Tomato Eggplant Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce package pasta use gluten free for GF version
- 1 Medium Eggplant cubed (about 3 cups)
- 1 sweet onion roughly chopped
- 6 fresh tomatoes roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper
- 1.5 tablespoons Italian Seasonings
- 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 cup cashews raw unsalted
- 2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk unsweetened
- 1 cup fresh basil julienned
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to packaging directions - make sure to salt the water! Drain, and set pasta aside to prep the sauce.
- Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit. In a large sheet pan add the tomatoes, onion, eggplant, and garlic. Cover with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and toss well to combine. Roast the veggies in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until eggplant begins to brown and tomatoes begin to soften.
- Using the same pot you boiled the pasta in, heat the almond milk until it begins to warm.
- Add the milk, cashews, and roasted vegetables to a blender, and blend on high until combined. Taste and add additional salt or pepper as needed.
- Add the sauce back to the pot, and toss with cooked pasta. Heat over low burner until the pasta is bubbling and hot. Top with fresh basil.
- Save the other half of the sauce (should be about 4-5 cups) for later in the week. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and use within 5 days
Notes
Save Money on Organic Groceries!
I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market - they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every month and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery. You can get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here! If you think organic produce is too expensive... think again, and give Misfits Market a look!Nutrition
Or tag me @theherbeevore in your photo on Instagram!
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