Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta

Call this the last of the transition meals. We’re officially several days into fall now, but I still have some late-summer vegetables hanging around my fridge. I suppose you do, too? I turned the last of my eggplant and tomatoes into this plate of pasta, a dish warm and hearty enough to fill your belly on a chilly night. I suggest you do the same. If you’re living in a warmer clime (say, in California) these vegetables will be available to you a bit longer.

This is your basic garlic and oil pasta— aglia et olio— topped with seasoned roasted vegetables. It’s incredibly simple to make, but absolutely delicious. Roasting the tomatoes sweetens them and concentrates their flavor. The eggplant turns silky smooth in the oven. Toss the veggies with the garlic pasta, add some parsley and salt, and you have a great meal.

Don’t be afraid of roasting tomatoes! I know I was the first time I tried it— I was afraid they would release their juices, and cook into a watery mess. That didn’t happen, at all. Instead, roasting tomatoes evaporates off some of their liquid and intensifies their flavor. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get a little caramelization by the time your pan comes out of the oven.

Optionally, you can top your spaghetti with some parmesan. If you’re trying to keep things vegan, a little extra coarse sea salt works wonders for flavor.

I like to make the 4 serving batch of roasted vegetables and put them in a container in my fridge. Then, I make the garlic pasta as needed, and stir in some roasted veggies that have been warmed in the microwave.

This was what my kitchen table looked like during.

But I did get to sit down to an amazing lunch after!

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Ingredients

• 8 ounces dry spaghetti
• 2 medium globe eggplants, cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes
• 4 roma tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6-8 stems parsley or basil, finely chopepd
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Red pepper flakes
• Fine sea salt
• Course sea salt
• Grated parmesan (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place eggplant and tomato on a foil-lined baking sheet, toss with a few tablespoons of oil to coat, and sprinkle with a few pinches of fine sea salt. Roast vegetables in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the eggplant is fork-tender. Stir the vegetables halfway through roasting.
2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti to al dente, according to package directions, in a pot of salted water.
3. In a small saucepan, warm 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil with a tablespoon of butter. Add the garlic and a few pinches of red pepper, and stir over low heat until fragrant.
4. Remove the oil and garlic sauce from the heat, and stir in the drained spaghetti and a few tablespoons of pasta water.
5. Portion the pasta onto plates and top with the roasted vegetables. Alternatively, stir the vegetables into the spaghetti if serving family-style. Sprinkle with fresh herbs before serving, and season lightly with coarse sea salt and parmesan if desired.