Eggplant Tomato Pasta: Distinguishing One- and Two-Serving Portions

Before cooking for one

Start with an ingredient you already have, then check the recipe's full ingredient list, quantities and equipment before choosing your meal. For a solo meal, use its one-serving quantities.

When preparing eggplant tomato pasta for one person or two people, the amounts in the ingredient list can be confusing. First decide how many people you are making it for, then check the amounts to match. Below is a side-by-side guide to the quantities for 1 serving and 2 servings in the published recipe. Read the water and reserved pasta water amounts given in the steps on a per-serving basis, too.

Compare the ingredients for 1 serving and 2 servings

The amounts for 1 serving and 2 servings are as follows.

For spaghetti, based on the product's 1-serving indication, use 1 bundle or 2 bundles. For small, slender eggplants, use 0.5 or 1. Use 1 or 2 medium tomatoes, and 1 or 2 cloves of garlic.

Use 1 or 2 household eating spoons of olive oil, and 2 or 4 pinches of salt. Since units differ by ingredient, check both the ingredient name and its unit.

Sauce water and salt use different units

In the sauce step, along with the tomatoes and salt, the recipe lists 4 household eating spoons of water for 1 serving. So read this as 4 household eating spoons for 1 serving, and 8 household eating spoons for 2 servings.

Measure the water with a household eating spoon and count the salt in pinches. The original recipe describes a pinch as the amount lightly picked up between the tips of the thumb and index finger. Although the sauce water and salt go into the same sauce step, check them separately: measure the water with a household eating spoon and count the salt in pinches.

Distinguish the amount of pasta water to reserve from the amount to add

The amount of pasta water to reserve when draining the pasta is also listed as 4 household eating spoons for 1 serving. Read this as reserving 4 for 1 serving and 8 for 2 servings.

In the final step, add the pasta water one 1 household eating spoon at a time if the sauce is thick. You do not have to add all the water you reserved; the recipe says not to add more if the sauce is already thin. The amount to reserve and the amount to add do not mean the same thing.

Decide how many servings to make, then check the amounts for each step

First, check the ingredient list for the amounts of spaghetti, eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and salt for the number of servings you want. Then, in the cooking steps, read the per-serving amounts for the sauce water and the pasta water to reserve separately.

The recipe does not say to multiply the pasta-cooking time or sauce-cooking time according to the ingredient amounts. Check the ingredient amounts for each serving count separately from the measurements in the steps, and follow the cooking order. You can find the ingredient list and cooking steps in Kkinion's published recipe.

Recipe Ingredients

Choose one of the following two quantities according to how many people you are making it for.

• Spaghetti: 1 serving, 1 bundle (product indicates 1 serving) / 2 servings, 2 bundles (product indicates 1 serving)
• Eggplant: 1 serving, 0.5 (small and slender) / 2 servings, 1 (small and slender)
• Tomatoes: 1 serving, 1 (medium) / 2 servings, 2 (medium)
• Garlic: 1 serving, 1 clove / 2 servings, 2 cloves
• Olive oil: 1 serving, 1 household eating spoon / 2 servings, 2 household eating spoons
• Salt: 1 serving, 2 pinches / 2 servings, 4 pinches

Complete Cooking Steps

1 step. Wash the eggplant and tomatoes and remove their stems. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, place the flat side on the cutting board, and cut it into 1.5 cm pieces. Cut the tomatoes into 2 cm pieces. Peel and finely chop the garlic.

2 step. Add the olive oil, eggplant, and garlic to a 20 cm pan and stir-fry over medium-low heat for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and 4 household eating spoons of water per 1 serving, then simmer over low heat for 6 minutes. Turn off the heat when the eggplant is easy to press with a spoon.

3 step. Bring water to a boil in a pot and add the spaghetti. Use tongs to loosen it for the first 1 minute. Cook according to the package directions, then drain it, reserving 4 household eating spoons of pasta water per 1 serving.

4 step. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce pan and toss it with tongs over low heat for 30 seconds. If the sauce is thick, add the reserved pasta water 1 household eating spoon at a time. Once the pasta is evenly coated, turn off the heat and serve.

See the eggplant tomato pasta ingredients and cooking steps

Web Sources

This source was used as a reference for the reader question and explanatory structure. The ingredients and cooking steps are based on Kkinion's published recipe.

• Reference article at www.bbcgoodfoodme.com

The featured image and images in the article are newly generated AI images based on the recipe in the referenced article. They are not photos of actual cooking or tasting, and the quantities or finished appearance may differ.

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