creamy late summer pasta with basil & walnuts

easy breezy end-of-summer pasta perfection

Just last Friday, the start of a new month and the first hints of cool fall breezes had me feeling all.. energized! invigorated! ready to take on the world!

Well, that was short lived. I should know better after living in North Carolina for several years now, because fall always teases an early arrival before whiplashing us back to soul-crushing heat and humidity. This week has been a scorcher, with highs every day in the mid-90’s with nary a cool breeze, which has me feeling all… tired! wilted! ready to take a nap!

Alas. It may still feel like summer, but the time is ripe for getting your fall gardens planted!

ICYMI, earlier this week I shared a new post with my 3 keys fall gardening success – it’s packed with resources and digs into the things you *actually* need to know, like 1) WHAT to plant for fall, 2) WHEN to plant, and 3) how to keep everything alive and THRIVING. Read the full post here!

On a personal note, I’m officially in full *nesting mode* as we enter the final few weeks before baby #2 arrives. Which basically means that no cluttered closet or drawer is safe from my wrath, as I’m suddenly convinced that I ABSOLUTELY MUST clean out and re-organize every corner of our house before this babe comes.

Also this week (when not de-cluttering our house, working/sweating outside, or chasing around a toddler..) I started a new book that I’m LOVING, called The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. I’m only 1/4 of the way in and already hooked… which I’m grateful for, because I just finished a book that I’d heard SO many good things about, but I just couldn’t get into (Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus). I *really* wanted to love Lessons in Chemistry – it’s full of cooking! the joys and trials of motherhood! women’s empowerment! – but the characters never felt believable to me and the plot never kept my interest. But I’m always in the hunt for a good book, so if you have any recs, please do share them in the comments. :)

Okay, enough chit chat, keep reading for this week’s recipe, which… and I do not exaggerate… I TRULY CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT: Creamy Late Summer Pasta with Basil & Walnuts.

I have a confession. When deciding what to call this recipe, I purposefully left out the name of a key ingredient in the title. Why, you ask? Because I knew that I’d instantly lose 50% of folks when they saw this ingredient in the recipe title.

But now that you’re here, I’m gonna tell you the whole truth, which is that EGGPLANT is the key to this pasta’s creamy, caramelized deliciousness.

Now all you eggplant haters out there, just hang on a sec! I’ve quizzed everyone who has tried this pasta, and not a single person guessed that it contained eggplant (instead, all they could talk about was how rich and creamy and flavorful it was).

The secret is roasting an eggplant alongside some cherry tomatoes and garlic, until everything is suuuper tender, browned, and luscious; then throw the roasted veggies in a blender (or food processor) with a bit more olive oil and some fresh basil, and whiz until it’s a deliciously smooth (and deceptively healthy) sauce.

Then you finish by tossing your creamy veggie sauce with some cooked noodles (I love big, beefy rigatoni noodles for this pasta, but you can use whatever kind of noodle you want), top with a bit more basil + toasted walnuts, and you’ve got yourself a perfect late summer pasta… which will be beloved by eggplant lovers AND haters alike, I promise.

Keep reading for the full recipe, including a 1-page PDF for easy printing.

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Creamy Late Summer Pasta with Basil & Walnuts

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Serves 4-6