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A blue plate of spaghetti topped with bacon, eggplant, onions, and chopped herbs sits on a wooden table, surrounded by salad, cutlery, a pepper grinder, and a small dish of chopped chives.

Bacon and Eggplant Soy Sauce Butter Pasta

by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Take pasta night to the next level with my savory and satisfying Bacon and Eggplant Soy Sauce Butter Pasta recipe. You'll love the combo of Italian spaghetti with Japanese seasonings and ingredients for a quick and delicious weeknight meal.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 dried red chili pepper
  • ½ onion (4 oz, 113 g)
  • 3 shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 small bunch chives (for garnish)
  • 4 slices applewood smoked bacon (5.3 oz, 150 g; swap bacon with tomatoes for vegetarian)
  • 1 Japanese or Chinese eggplant (5 oz, 140 g)
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1½ Tbsp soy sauce (concentrated noodle soup base called mentsuyu is also a great choice! You can buy on Amazon)

For Boiling the Spaghetti

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Gather all the ingredients. Add 4 QT water to a large pot (I used a 4.5 QT Dutch oven) and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.
    A wooden surface displays uncooked spaghetti, bacon slices, an eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, chives, a sliced onion, butter, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, cooking oil in a measuring cup, garlic cloves, and a dried chili pepper.

To Prepare the Ingredients

  • Crush or mince 2 cloves garlic. Slice 1 dried red chili pepper into thin rounds. If you want it less spicy, remove some or all of the seeds.
    Three-panel image: First, garlic is pressed onto a small plate. Second, a hand slices red chili on a cutting board. Third, the chopped chili and seeds are placed next to the pressed garlic on the plate.
  • Cut ½ onion into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices. Remove the stems from 3 shiitake mushrooms and cut the caps into ½-inch (1.25 cm) slices.
    Three images show close-up hands slicing vegetables on a wooden cutting board: first, slicing an onion; second, slicing a mushroom; third, slicing another mushroom.
  • Mince the 1 small bunch chives and set aside for garnish.
    A hand finely chops chives on a wooden cutting board. Next to it, a small decorative plate holds a pile of the freshly chopped chives.
  • Cut 4 slices applewood smoked bacon into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces. How about the eggplant? We'll cut it right before cooking to keep it from changing color.
    Two images side by side showing a hand slicing strips of raw bacon on a wooden cutting board with a knife. The left image shows initial cuts, while the right shows the bacon being diced into smaller pieces.

To Boil the Pasta

  • Add 1½ Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the boiling water. Then, add 8 oz spaghetti and cook until al dente (I cook it one minute less than the package instructions). You now have about 11 minutes to cook the other ingredients before adding the pasta.
    Three-panel image: pouring salt into a pot of water, adding uncooked spaghetti to the pot, and spaghetti boiling in the water.

To Cook the Ingredients

  • Heat a frying pan (I use a 12-inch stainless steel frying pan) on medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the bacon. Sauté with a wooden spatula and let the bacon crisp on the edges a bit. Then, add the onion and stir.
    A sequence of three images: pouring olive oil into a skillet, cooking bacon pieces in the skillet, then adding sliced onions to the skillet with the bacon.
  • While sautéing the onion, cut 1 Japanese or Chinese eggplant in half lengthwise, then cut diagonally into ⅓-inch (9-mm) slices.
    Two-panel image showing hands slicing an eggplant on a wooden cutting board. In the first panel, the eggplant is being cut lengthwise; in the second, it is being sliced into wedges.
  • Stir in the garlic and chili pepper. Add the eggplant, then season with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat the eggplant with oil.
    A three-panel image shows bacon, onions, and eggplant cooking in a pan. Ingredients like minced garlic, chili flakes, and seasonings are being added by hand with a wooden spatula stirring the mixture.
  • Now, add the shiitake mushrooms and cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and steam for 3 minutes. There's enough moisture in the vegetables to keep the food from burning on very low heat. If you're worried, you can turn off the stove.
    Nami's Tip: I steam rather than stir-fry the eggplant, as I like to keep it in bigger chunks and stirring can break the flesh.
    Three images show a skillet: first with sliced onions, eggplant, mushrooms, and bacon; second with a lid covering the cooking food; third with everything mixed and sautéed using a spatula.

To Toss the Pasta

  • By this time, the pasta should be about ready. Pick up the al dente pasta with tongs and transfer it to the frying pan. Then, add 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and 1½ Tbsp soy sauce. Quickly toss everything to combine well.
    Nami's Tip: It's okay to include some pasta water as you transfer the spaghetti, as it helps complete the sauce (and I don't pour additional pasta water in this recipe). If you prefer to drain it, then reserve some pasta water to add later for the sauce, as needed.
    Three images show pasta being cooked in a pan with sliced vegetables, bacon, and onions. Butter and sauce are added, and the ingredients are mixed together using wooden utensils.

To Serve

  • Serve the pasta to individual dishes and garnish with minced chives. Enjoy!
    Two images side by side: both show a blue plate of pasta with vegetables and bacon. In the first, chopsticks arrange the toppings; in the second, a hand sprinkles chopped green herbs from a small dish onto the pasta.

To Store

  • Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.
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