Mediterranean Stir-Fry with Angel Hair Pasta
Submitted by brigid
Mediterranean stir-fry with angel hair pasta tosses eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, and artichoke hearts in a basil-tomato sauce, served over crisped sesame-oil angel hair. A healthy, fast vegetarian dinner.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
1 hrsMediterranean stir-fry with angel hair pasta is a vegetarian dinner that marries Italian flavors with wok technique. Eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, and artichoke hearts get the stir-fry treatment, staying crisp-tender and bright instead of the usual stewed-to-oblivion ratatouille-style finish.
The sauce is a five-minute job. Crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, crushed garlic, and a pinch of cayenne blitz together into a raw, uncooked sauce that keeps its fresh, almost salsa-like brightness. Cooking it would dull the flavor. This method preserves it.
The real trick, and the part that makes this dish shine, is the angel hair finish. After the pasta cooks, it goes into a smoking-hot wok with sesame oil for a two-minute toss. The strands crisp up and pick up a nutty, toasted quality you never get from plain boiled pasta.
Sesame oil in a Mediterranean-labeled dish sounds off, but it’s what bridges the wok technique with the Italian ingredients. Don’t skip or substitute.
Artichoke hearts add a salty, marinated accent that anchors the dish firmly on the Mediterranean side.
Pro Tips
- Salt the cubed eggplant and let it sit for 20 minutes before stir-frying. This draws out bitterness and prevents it from soaking up too much oil.
- Get the wok smoking-hot before anything goes in. A lukewarm wok gives you soggy vegetables instead of the quick sear this dish needs.
- Fresh pasta cooks in one minute. Don’t walk away. Overcooked angel hair is gluey no matter what you do after.
- Warm bread in the oven while you cook. A crust to mop up the leftover sauce is essential.
Variations
- Add a handful of halved cherry tomatoes in the last minute of the stir-fry for pop.
- Toss in pitted kalamata olives and a pinch of oregano for a Greek accent.
- Finish with crumbled feta or a handful of shaved Parmesan at the table.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Place 3 to 4 quarts of water on to boil.
Reserve 1 tablesppon of basil for garnish.
In food processor or by hand, whisk together crushed tomatoes, garlic, cayenne and remaining basil.
Set aside.
Heat wok or skillet over medium-high heat and spray with vegetable oil.
When wok is smoking, add onion and eggplant.
Toss 2 minutes Add zucchini, bell pepper and artichoke hearts.
Stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toss and remove to a bowl.
Pour reserved sauce over vegetables.
Place bread in oven to warm.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook 1 minute if fresh, 5 minutes if dried or follow package directions.
Drain. Add sesame oil to wok. When wok is smoking, add drained pasta.
Toss well for 2 minutes the pasta should be crisp.
Divide pasta in 2 portions and place on individual plates.
Spoon vegetables over top.
Sprinkle with reserved basil. Serve with warm bread.
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