Sometimes you just want something different to take to the party you are attending. Or maybe you want a new taste for the pasta you are planning for dinner next week. No matter what your need is, this roasted eggplant spread is delicious and can be changed up to suit the tastes of your family.

I developed this recipe out of a need to do something with the overabundance of eggplant the husband presented to me one year while we were living in Montana and growing all of our vegetables. It happens to be one of my favorite vegetables but when presented with 50lbs of it a girl needs to get creative.

This spread is amazing on crackers, a revelation instead of red sauce on pizza and absolutely heavenly in ravioli. If you would like to use in ravioli I have a recipe for Eggplant Ravioli with a Fig Balsamic Reduction that is really pretty yummy. I have been known to just get a jar of it and eat it with a spoon.

It will keep for about a week in the refrigerator but I have rarely had it around that long because we eat it all up! I am sure there are a myriad of other ways it can be used that I just haven’t come across yet. Just now it popped into my head that it would be mighty tasty with chicken. Now to just figure out how to make it special.

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Roasted Eggplant Spread

2 small Japanese eggplant
1 small white onion, peeled and cut into quarters
2 large cloves garlic
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 TBS finely chopped basil
1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350°
Trim the eggplants slice them into 1/2″ rounds if using Japanese eggplants or small chunks if using larger eggplants

Add the eggplants, the garlic cloves and the onion to a baking dish.
Add one tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Mix everything with your hands to make sure they are coated with the oil.
Roast for 30 – 45 minutes until the eggplant and onions are very soft.
After the vegetables are done remove them from the oven and cool slightly.
In a food processor fit with the steel blade drop in the onions and eggplants. Squeeze the garlic out of their cloves into the mix. Process for about 30 seconds to a minute until you have a smooth paste.
Add the basil, toasted pine nuts and olive oil.
Process until the nuts are finely chopped.

Taste and add salt if needed.

What Can You Do with the Roasted Eggplant Spread

There are so many delicious ways to use this spread. The most obvious is on crackers but that is just too easy albeit mighty tasty. One of my favorite ways to use it is on eggplant pizza – it is an amazing substitute for red sauce. I have also used it as a topping on salmon and Chilean sea bass.

You can whip up some homemade fettucine and add some of the roasted eggplant spread to the warm pasta. Add a salad and you have a lovely meal.

I have the pasta roller set for my KitchenAid and it makes having fresh linguine or fettucine for dinner if not easy, achievable. It’s not difficult but there is a little bit of a learning curve. You have to admit that there is nothing like fresh, homemade pasta.