Dice the eggplant into medium-sized pieces, and place it into a bowl along with half of the olive oil and seasoning to taste.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place down the seasoned eggplant. Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, mixing it around halfway.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Generously season with sea salt flakes and cook the pasta as per the packet instructions.
Place a large pan onto the stovetop over medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute or until just starting to brown. Add the diced tomatoes, oregano, basil stems, and season to taste. Mix to combine and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 12 minutes.
By this stage, the eggplant can be removed from the oven, transferred into the sauce, and mixed well until fully combined.
Add the al dente pasta along with ½ cup (125ml) of pasta water, and add the basil leaves. Mix well and remove from the heat. Add enough of the pasta water until you reach the desired consistency — you may want more or less.
Serve in bowls and grate over some ricotta salata cheese, or use plain ricotta or parmesan. Garnish with extra fresh basil and cracked black pepper. Dig in.
Chef's Tips
Roast the eggplant until properly golden and tender, not just softened — this is what gives the sauce its depth, since underdone eggplant will taste bland and slightly bitter.Let the tomato sauce simmer the full 12 minutes — this cooks out the raw tomato flavour and gives it time to reduce before the eggplant and pasta go in.Add the pasta water gradually rather than all at once — it's easier to loosen the sauce a little at a time than to fix one that's gone too thin.
Storage & Reheating
Will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in a pan over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, or in the microwave, stirring halfway through.