Delicious and hearty rigatoni, eggplant, mushrooms and goat cheese, all mixed together and served hot.
Fabulous! Minor alterations: Served this with whole wheat pasta, heavier on the garlic and red pepper, used vegetable stock and leftover roasted eggplant. I also left out the olives.
Read MoreAs I made the sauce I kept thinking "what is the big deal about this?" I wasn't impressed at all. So I threw in alot more seasoning (Italian spices, and basil). Once the goat cheese hit the rigatoni and it started to melt into the sauce it became a much better recipe. The goat cheese make it worth it the effort. This recipe makes alot and is really rich.
Read MoreFabulous! Minor alterations: Served this with whole wheat pasta, heavier on the garlic and red pepper, used vegetable stock and leftover roasted eggplant. I also left out the olives.
As I made the sauce I kept thinking "what is the big deal about this?" I wasn't impressed at all. So I threw in alot more seasoning (Italian spices, and basil). Once the goat cheese hit the rigatoni and it started to melt into the sauce it became a much better recipe. The goat cheese make it worth it the effort. This recipe makes alot and is really rich.
I doubled the amount of mushrooms to 16 ounces, added in several handfuls of chopped, fresh spinach, reduced the oil by half and added some red wine and red pepper flakes for heat. The tomatoes I used had Italian spices added already. Instead of goat cheese, I used Boursin gourney cheese with herbs, which is what I had on hand. When it melted along with the sauce, it tasted very much like La Madeleine's tomato basil soup, with chunky veggies in it, of course. I served it over whole grain rotini pasta. Even my husband liked it a lot, even though there wasn't any meat in it. Thanks for the recipe!
Love it! It was like eggplant parmesan disassembled. I used half a can of diced tomatoes, half a can of puréed, red wine instead of the broth and Greek feta instead of the plain goat cheese, and added some dried oregano and basil. With a baguette and a glass of wine, it made a lovely meal.
Excellent Recipe! My family enjoyed it a lot. I added italian seasoning, basil leaves and oregano for more flavor. It tasted very good. I will surely make it again.
Fabulous. I cooked for just two people, so i was able to save the rest of the sauce in the freezer for another time. I think any olives would do -- the kalamata olives we used had the pits, so you had to be careful of that when eating. Also, the olives are very strong so stick with the quantity suggested and don't go overboard. Great recipe.
This recipe was quick, easy and different. I replaced the eggplant with zucchini and it had a great flavor. It was a nice change from the standard tomato and pasta dishes. I will definately make this again.
This was a tasty recipe, I used feta instead of the goats cheese and added some diced zucchini with the eggplant to increase the vegetable intake!
I was looking for a way to use up some goat cheese and came across this recipe. We liked it a lot but it definitely has a zing to it between the goat cheese and the kalamata olives. I think next time I may cut back a little on the goat cheese so there is a stronger tomato taste. I did not add the salt because there is plenty in the canned tomato, chicken broth, and goat cheese.
I only gave this recipe 4 stars because of the adjustments I made. Prior to cooking the eggplant, I sweated them (sliced the eggplant and then layed out the slices, sprinkling salt over them. Let them sit for about 20 minutes then rinse them in cold water and pat dry, then continue to cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Sweating them helps to eliminate any bitterness that is in the eggplant). The sauce had almost no flavor. I increased the amount of red pepper flakes by 1/4 tsp. I increased the thyme by 1 tsp. I also added 1 tsp of oregano, 1 tsp of basil, 1/2 tsp of garlic, and a dash of pepper. These extra spices helped turn this recipe from bland to spectacular! Oh, and after reading other reviews, it seems some people were complaining about the pits of the olives, Take the pits out!! Also do not use more than 15 olives, as they are very strong.
Do NOT substitiute the goat cheese, it makes the dish amazing. My family loved this meal.
Okay so I used fresh mozzarella instead of goat cheese, marinated artichoke hearts instead of kalamata olives, fresh basil instead of thyme, heavy cream instead of chicken broth & a splash of balsamic vinegar - it was dee-licious!!!
Absolutely delicious. I've made this over and over again and have served it for company. Takes a bit of prep but we think it's well worth it! I left out the olives as no one in my family cares for them.
excellent recipe, very good for those lactose intolerant people as goat cheese has a different enzyme then cow milk and most lactose intolerant people can tolerate this.
This was very good. It's even better the next day. May I suggest making the sauce the day before to allow the sauce to marry? I added Zucchini and used whole wheat penne. Added basil and parsely, used dried ground thyme, and more crushed red pepper because we like heat. Rather than chicken stock, I used red wine, and used Napa Valley kalamata olives marinated in wine. The briny olives really popped in this dish. I only only used 4oz of the goat cheese. A full 8 would have been entirely too much.
Made this exact to the recipe. I couldn't believe how good this was and I will make this again. kalamata olives and goat cheese flavor this dish so well.
This was EXCELLENT. We are low-carbing it, so I served it over grilled chicken and it was FABULOUS. Took another readers advice and added some spinach. Definitely a keeper.
If you are a fan of eggplant parm and ratatouille you will adore this! I am and I did! (excellent meatless dish if you are an ovo/lacto vegetarian, just replace veggie broth for the chicken broth.)
This was so delicious..i made it lastnight for dinner and it smelled and tasted so good i will be making it again for sure. i just didnt have the cheese but it was still great..and used green Spanish olives :)
Too much pasta for the sauce. Half a box would do. Too expensive! The goat cheese alone cost over $7 for a 12 oz pkg. I took other reviewers' advice and added Basil, Oregano and more garlic. The flavor of the sauce is nice, but the goat cheese was lost in this recipe. Any other creamy cheese would do.
Great taste and easy to fix. I added zucchini. Even my 3 year old liked it. I'll use this recipe again for sure.
I was really surprised that we didn't like this because we love goat cheese. Neither my Husband or myself liked the flavor that the goat cheese gave the dish. I would make it again and instead of goat cheese, I would use a half cup of parm. cheese and add some heavy whipping cream.
Over the top good! I thought the sauce was good as I was preparing this. But when I tossed the pasta with the sauce and the goat cheese it went from good to great. The goat cheese really added a yummy zing and a little creaminess. I used Chinese eggplant because no need to peel it at all.
Great recipe. Didn't have any goat cheese, just used shredded parmesan. Also didn't have any olives, so i used capers. Added sliced zucchini too. Very tasty the 2nd and 3rd day. Thank you
My husband said this was one of the best dishes I have ever made. We both loved it. I used whole wheat pasta instead to make it a bit healthier. I substituted the eggplant with a zucchini because I didn't have any eggplant in the fridge. I also left out the olives because we don't like them, and I added a little more crushed red pepper flakes for some extra spice. The goat cheese complements the spice perfectly! I'm making this again next week!
easier then eggplant parm- and just as tasty- we added extra crushed red pepper for extra zest
Pretty good recipe - a little too heavy on the thyme for our tastes. Will definitely try again with a few modifications
Doubled the garlic, halved the goat cheese and added some basil and black pepper. This is awesome. I need to feed a vegetarian friend tomorrow with the leftovers and I'm very happy I picked this recipe.
This is very easy to make and could easily be served for company. To make the dish spicier I used a bit more red pepper flakes and blended a few jarred roasted red peppers in a food processor and added them to the sauce (about 1/2 cup blended). I omitted the mushrooms. Next time I make it, I'm going to top the pasta with slices of sirloin steak.
I was a little skeptical about this when I was making it, but it was good, and really easy to make. The goat cheese and olives make this dish really special.
This was very good and very easy. My son (4) loved it but we like goat cheese as well. It would be good without the cheese as well.
Great recipe!!! I used three LARGE cloves of garlic and added italian seasonings as others had mentioned. I also stuffed the rigatoni with bechamel sauce, mozzeralla, and cheddar. It was outstanding! Will make again thanks:)
I modified a little, but only because I wasn't paying attn when grocery shopping. I used 14.5 oz of crushed toms, and 14.5 oz tom sauce instead of 28 oz crushed toms. I added half tbs of oregano and substituted veggie broth for chicken tom make it completely vegetarian. I also only used 4 oz of crumbled goat cheese. That said, all else was made as written. WARNING: this makes a lot of food, but it was really good! I would make it for a pot-luck.
This was incredibly simple to make and very tasty! I amped up the amount of thyme and subbed diced toms for stewed. Will make again, for sure!
Great recipe - very quick, easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly - no problems and my guests raved about the sauce. I much prefer homemade sauce to anything that is bought, and this was definitely a keeper.
This was an excellant dish! I took leftovers to work for lunch and all my co-workers were jealous. I don't care for goat cheese so I used feta instead. I also used whole wheat rigatoni. I think the next time I make it I'll use penna instead.
I left out the mushrooms because my teenagers don't like them. I used black olives because I didn't have kalamatas. I also chopped the eggplant more finely so it would cook faster. It was delicious! My husband who doesn't think he likes eggplant had two huge servings!
Very nice, could use a tad more something... maybe more crushed pepper. I might make it again for the family, but not quite of the level of guests
I thought this was delicious! Very hearty and flavorful. I used half the amount of goat cheese as others suggested and that was the perfect amount. I also subbed out other vegetables for the eggplant. I used a jar of marinated artichokes and roasted red peppers, which made for a quick and easy recipe.
it was amazing although i added: 1/2 lb. of ground beef, doubled the mushrooms, 1 orange pepper, and instead of goat cheese i used provolone. before i added the eggplant and orange pepper i tossed it with oil, salt and italian seasonings then roasted them for about 10 mins, i semi cooked the ground beef and then when i had to cook the sauce for 30 mins i added the ground beef to it so it can finish cooking! great spin on the original recipe.
My family loved this recipe! Did change from the Kalamata olives to a small can of sliced black olives. It was such a nice change from the same old pasta sauces.
Very tasty! Goat cheese is a staple in our home and this was a great mix.
Delicious! I added fresh basil once I took the dish off the heat, and used mushroom broth instead of meat broth. I wanted to make a vegetarian dinner for my meat loving family, so I picked this because it seemed hearty enough for meat eaters. It was delicious, and no one asked where the meat was, so it was a total success!
I love goat cheese and eggplant so I thought I would try this recipe. It was very easy to make and delicious. I served it to my family when they came to visit and it was a hit. I left out the mushrooms, because I hate them, but I still thought it was great!!!
This turned out great! However, I followed other suggestions and made my own changes. First, I roasted the eggplant because I love the rich flavor of roasted vegetables. I pricked the eggplant and spread some olive oil over it before placing in a pan and baking it in my Krups combo oven at 375 degrees for 30 min. After letting it cool, I cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and simply scraped the meat off the skin - no peeling necessary! I also added more seasonings to the sauce and used the following proportions: 1 medium bay leaf, 1 tsp. each of salt & thyme, 1/2 tsp. each of rosemary, oregano & basil, 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes. Other changes: 1 medium onion, 5 garlic cloves, substituted water for broth & increased amount to 1 cup, replaced goat cheese with feta. I also added some leftover frozen chopped spinach towards the end of the cooking time. I used penne pasta instead of rigatoni. I cooked the sauce for over an hour to reduce the extra water and let all the seasonings do their thing. It was really wonderful! Will definitely make again.
This was wonderful!! I only used 2 Tblsp of olive oil and 6 oz of goat cheese but that is just because I am trying to cut calories and fat where ever I can right now. Also used basil and italian seasoning instead of Thyme because I'm not a big fan. This will probably enter our regular recipe rotation!!
I didn't have goat cheese, so I used moz and parm instead. I didn't put that many olives in there and added a couple of sun-dried tomatoes. (never can go wrong with sun-dried tomatoes and pasta!)-yum! I also only had italian-flavored crushed tomatoes, which turned out ok. I added some leftover grilled chicken and green peppers. It turned out ok... pretty tasty but probably would have been better with the goat cheese.
delicious recipe, i added basil and oregano, i missed out the olives and added spanish chorizo which added a lovely flavour. will definately make this recipe again, it was so simple.
This was incredible! I have three little boys and they ALL loved this dish. I did have to peel the eggplant to disguise it a little, but otherwise I didn't really stray much from the recipe. We're adding this one into the rotation. :)
Great recipe - found the crushed tomatos a little strong, added a touch of red wine, basil, oregano, and sugar. Also added spinach as it was on hand.
Really enjoyed this recipe after modifications: took advice of others, and increased garlic and red pepper. Replaced chicken broth with red wine. Added a bag of arugula towards the end- added a nice spiciness and some more veggies! The goat cheese made the sauce nice and creamy. Delicious!
Although it was tasty, it needed "doctoring" up for flavor. For the effort I believe there are better recipes recipes out there. Unsure whether or not I will make again.
This is SO good. I didn't care for how it looked once I mixed in the goat cheese so if serving for company I would serve the goat cheese sprinkled on top instead of mixed in.
This was ok ....eatible but not fantastic. I really don't know what all the hype is about tasted kinda bland even after adding 6 cloves of garlic and more red pepper. Don't think I would make this again.
Need to cut back on the amount of goat cheese next time. Seemed like it would be time consuming, really not. Pressed eggplant for 45 min. before. Couldn't even tell eggplant was in the recipe. Even Shane liked it - pre goat cheese.
This was exceptionally delicious and different! I love goat cheese and try to eat vegetarian. It was wonderful. The only step that I added that wasn't in the recipe was to salt the egg plant after I chopped it and let it sit for about an hour to make sure I did not have any of the bitterness that egg plant can have. I then rinsed the egg plant to remove the salt and proceeded with the recipe as written.
Rigatoni is one of my all time fave pastas and this was a great recipe as it also included some of my fave flavors too. In addition to the crushed tomatoes I added in some tomato sauce. I added in veggie stock instead of chicken. I also added in more garlic. I also added in a bit of dry basil and oregano, fresh basil would have been a great addition but I was too lazy to go get some from the garden. Again great stuff, nice hearty fall meal.
Excellent. I roasted sliced eggplant brushed with olive oil at 450 for about 15 minutes a side, because I like my eggplant very well done. Then looked recipe as written. Very creamy and delicious.
Good base recipe but for me it needed more seasoning and garlic. I left out the olives and added artichoke hearts instead, because that's what I had. I always salt my eggplant first and let it sit in the sink in a colander. This draws out the eggplant juice. The juice from an eggplant can be VERY bitter when it cooks down. I also served with whole wheat pasta like many others said. I think I may try this recipe with Italian sausage or Italian seasoned turkey next time to add some protein. Overall, good recipe to play with!
I had an eggplant and portobello mushrooms in the fridge. Low and behold I had the canned tomato and goat cheese! I did not have the olives, I used some capers instead. I also had some cream I didn't want to go to waste, and put that in as well. It was warm and creamy. Due to celiac, I used brown rice pasta. YUM! It was very delicious.
this was DELICIOUS! Big hit! We cut back a little on the eggplant, and doubled the mushrooms. And I think it could have used even more goat cheese! But then again, I LOVE goat cheese.
A little bland. Perhaps some rosemary and basil might help the flavor profile. I do like the flavor the olives add. Also, I only had about three ounces of cheese. I do think more would taste better.
I added capers, red pepper flakes and did not add the goat cheese. It was delicious!
This has the potential to be an amazing go to pasta to impress- however, the recipe calls for WAY too much goat cheese. Cut it down by half, and the flavor of the vegetables will really stand out. Otherwise, everything else is just overshadowed by the goat cheese flavor. I will definitely make it again though.
This was delicious! Increased the spices as suggested and loved it. Thanks for sharing.
This was a very quick and easy dinner to make! Also a great way to use an eggplant that is on its way out. I used less goat cheese than called for, but it was still a wonderfully creamy dish. I also used a very basic jarred pasta sauce that I had on hand because I didn't have crushed tomatoes. Great way to jazz up a simple jarred sauce! I also omitted the olives because I didn't have them, but I think it would add a great saltiness--I added an extra dash of salt, but then again I eyeballed it to begin with. This will get made again!
This was soooo good! I used organic crushed tomatoes and added some chopped garden tomatoes. I also substituted vegetable stock and, after the 30 minutes simmering, let the sauce cook down uncoverd til it was thickened. Delicious
Very good recipe. I had some gorgonzola on hand, so I used that instead of goat cheese and it turned out great.
My husband and I enjoyed this....I used half of an onion, black olives, wheat pasta, and additional mushrooms, and it turned out great. Be prepared for a somewhat expensive meal though...the goat cheese is pricey (but worth it)
Followed the recipe, turned out bitter. Didn't like the sauce base, which was basically tomato sauce and thyme. Won't make it again, wont eat the left overs either.
This recipe is great, but if you are not a fan of simple flavors you will want to add more spices. I tripled the red pepper, added high-grade Greek Oregano, a splash of white wine, and vegetable stock in place of the chicken. I enjoyed it served over whole grain pasta without the goat cheese as a hearty vegan meal and my omni- boyfriend loved this with the goat cheese added. I also 'sweated' the eggplant for 20 minutes or so before simmering it in the sauce (it isn't much work and removes the risk of any bitter eggplant taste)
I discovered this recipe a few years ago when I was trying to figure out how to cook eggplant we had received in our CSA box. It was a hit from the first time and I have made it numerous times since then. It is simple enough to make during the week but it is delicious enough to make for company. This is one of my husband's favorite dishes that I make.
Meh. I love the ingredients on their own but together they didn't do much for me. If made again, I'd use feta instead of goat cheese and leave out the kalamatas, they added too much saltiness for my palate (I love eating them on their own normally).
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! I changed chicken stock to veggie stock and upped the amount of garlic and red pepper flakes. Besides that I left everything the same and I HIGHLY recommend leaving the kalamata olives (it salts the dish so you don't have to use so much salt). This was so good...my man loved it and had two huge helpings. Thanks for such a great recipe!
This is great as is, but we actually prefer to puree it after following the instructions. Great flavors!
Good flavor, once I used some of the suggestions here. This makes a vat of food. It requires no teeth to eat, so if you need some texture, serve with toasted ciabatta bread. Yum!
I didn't think this reflected all the work put into it - wouldn't make again. I exchanged some ingredients but felt that results were nothing special. Used spaghetti instead of rigatoni, zucchini instead of mushrooms and feta instead of goat cheese. Omitted the olives and red pepper flakes.
I didn't have enough of two of the main ingredients (only had 2 mushrooms! and about 3oz of goat cheese) so I had to modify this recipe to some degree but what it became was wonderful!!! I tried halving the recipe but wanted to use all the eggplant so in truth I used the recipe halved, but doubled the eggplant (and - as it turned out - the cheese!). As I was so short of goat cheese, I used feta AND blue cheese so the cheese amount was actually doubled also. Oh and as I was cooking the sauce, it reminded me of a Putanesca sauce I make so I added some anchovies and two diced spicy Italian sausages. And I didn't have rigatoni, so I used rotini. Followed the rest of the directions though. Mmmmm good!!!
I loved the flavors, but cut back on the goat cheese. I added fresh basil and oregano. Also used less pasta to keep carbs and calories down. With those changes, it was very tasty.
As someone who likes goat cheese - I believe it's a 4 star recipe w/out goat cheese, 5 star with. Goat cheese definitely provides the texture. However, what I like about the recipe is that you can just leave the goat cheese out of the portion you're serving to anyone who doesn't like goat cheese - and they'll still love the sauce. Doesn't seem to freeze great for me (I've tried freezing without the goat cheese).
Husband asked for it again and was sad when the leftovers don't get eaten. That's a success in my book.
This is the blandest recipes I've ever made. Extra garlic, Italian herbs, salt and extra feta did nothing to help.
