Daily Archives: January 25, 2015

This pasta dish makes four smallish servings or three larger ones. You can supplement it with a tossed salad and ciabatta.

Pasta with Roasted Eggplant, Onions and Tomatoes

Here we’re roasting eggplant and onions, then adding faster-cooking cherry tomatoes, to add to pasta. The amount of oil is approximate, depending on your taste. Also, other vegetables that would do nicely here, with similar cooking times: bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli florets and green beans.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound pasta shells or variety of choice
1 medium eggplant, chopped into 1-by-2-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, halved, chopped lengthwise in thirds
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, about
1 to 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt, about
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 to 1 cup shredded fresh basil
Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS

Heat a stockpot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 1 large baking sheet with foil; brush a generous amount of olive oil over surface. (This will coat base of vegetables and also make them easy to remove.) Add eggplant and onion to cover about two-thirds of pan; it’s OK if they’re squished together; the vegetables will shrink while roasting. Drizzle additional olive oil over vegetables, then use a silicone brush to distribute over them.

Put tomatoes in large serving bowl; add about 2 teaspoons olive oil. Stir to coat.

Sprinkle 1-1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning over vegetables on pan, and 1 teaspoon over the tomatoes. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on both vegetables and tomatoes. Bake eggplant and onions, 10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven; stir ingredients and break up the onions a bit. Add cherry tomatoes to pan. Use brush to move tomatoes around to distribute oil and seasoning. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over all ingredients; use brush to distribute. Bake until fork pierces easily through the onion and eggplant, 10-15 minutes.

Drain pasta; pour into large serving bowl. Stir in butter until it’s melted. Add roasted ingredients, including juices; stir. Scatter basil over top. Add cheese or pass for serving.

Nutrition information per serving: 421 calories, 18 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 8 mg cholesterol, 56 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein, 301 mg sodium, 7 g fiber

Recipe source