When the weather starts getting chilly, pasta is the first dish I reach for! I am always trying to make pasta dishes a bit lighter and this one was a winner! I love the meaty texture of roasted eggplant and it pairs perfectly with the super sweet roasted tomatoes. I also love when alot of the cooking time is done in the oven and I don't even have to do anything!
This is recipe I saw from Rachael Ray. She always comes up with awesome pasta dishes so I knew this one would be delicious. Any pasta would work with this dish. I used whole wheat spaghetti,but I think penne or rigatoni would be equally delicious. On a side note, do you ever wish they offered other types of pastas in whole wheat? What I would do for whole wheat orichiette or angle hair. I could just be acting picky, but I long for every type of pasta in whole wheat. A girl can dream.
- Roasted Tomato & Eggplant Pasta
- Ingredients:
- 2 eggplants (about 2 pounds)
- 1 pound linguine pasta
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 14 1/2 ounce can chopped tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Pierce the eggplants all over, place on a baking sheet and cook until very soft, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly, then cut each eggplant in half and scoop the flesh into a bowl; discard the skin.
- Meanwhile, in a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice and cook until the liquid has reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in the eggplant; heat through. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the pasta and basil; toss to coat. Add the reserved pasta cooking water as needed.