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Penne with Eggplant, Olives and Feta

A baked penne pasta dish with eggplant, bell peppers, olives, tomatoes, basil, and feta cheese.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Oregano and basil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,390 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Penne with Eggplant, Olives and Feta

Oven350°F
Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the sauce

  1. Brush a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with 2 tablespoons oil.

  2. Heat the remaining 6 tablespoons oil in a heavy large pot over medium‑high heat.

  3. Add bell peppers, garlic, and crushed pepper; sauté 3 minutes.

  4. Add eggplant and oregano.

  5. Reduce heat to medium‑low.

  6. Cover and cook until eggplant softens, stirring often, about 15 minutes.

  7. Mix in tomatoes with juices, 1/2 cup basil, olives, tomato paste, and vinegar.

  8. Cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.

  9. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine with pasta

  1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite; drain well.

  2. Stir pasta into vegetable mixture.

  3. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared dish.

  4. Cover the dish with foil. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate.)

Bake and serve

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  2. Bake pasta covered until heated through, about 20 minutes (40 minutes if refrigerated).

  3. Sprinkle with fake feta, then 1/2 cup basil.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

345Calories
11 gProtein
24 gFat
24 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Feta Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Eggplant1 cup cubed (82g)35
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Olive1 large (4g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Oregano + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,390 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Eggplant + oreganotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together157 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  3. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  4. Eggplant + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together271 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  5. Garlic + eggplanttop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together801 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggplant
Softens during cooking and becomes tender, adding body to the sauce.
Diced tomatoes
Provide the liquid and acidity that form the base of the sauce.
Olive oil
Carries the garlic and peppers and adds richness to the sauce.
Penne
Absorbs sauce and holds its shape under the vegetable mixture.
Fake feta
Adds salty, tangy flavor and softens slightly when baked on top.
Kalamata olives
Add salty, briny flavor that balances the sweetness of the peppers.

The step that matters

Cook the pasta just until firm. Pasta keeps softening in the hot sauce and during baking, so draining it while still firm to the bite prevents a mushy result.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, pepper, garlic, eggplant, oregano, tomato, basil):

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Rosemaryfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, pepper, garlic, eggplant, oregano, tomato, basil. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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