Eggplant Puree Pasta Sauce
Lucky for us, we have some friends who have gardens. And with gardens this time of year, there seems to be an abundance of tomatoes, and in D. & A.’s case, also eggplants. When we had them over for dinner last weekend, they brought along some of their bounty for us to share in.
With E. out of town this week for work, and his rather strong dislike in eggplant, I took our previously acquired eggplant and tomato excess and went on the hunt for the perfect dish. I had previously come across this Food Network sauce and decided to give it a go.
With the simplicity of just roasting these veggies with an onion, and combining it with some parmesan cheese for some, and topping with tangy goat cheese- a simple pasta dish becomes a luxurious and healthy dinner.
Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree
Inspired from Food Network
Ingredients
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound of tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, whole
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound rigatoni pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup of fresh goat cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spread the cubed eggplant and tomatoes out in an even layer on the baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor and puree the vegetables.
Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl with the pasta and add the Parmesan. Stir to combine, and top with the goat cheese and serve.
