Spaghetti With Roasted Eggplant And Cherry Tomatoes Recipes

EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season aggressively with salt. Add the rigatoni and cook 3 minutes less than the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toss the eggplant and tomatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread on the baking sheet and roast until the eggplant is golden brown and tomatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
• Toss the rigatoni with the eggplant, tomatoes, about 1/4 cup pasta water and the marinara sauce in a large bowl. If it looks dry, add the remaining pasta water. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Transfer the pasta to the baking dish and top with the remaining cup mozzarella and the Parmesan and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (Turn the broiler on at the end if you want the cheese to brown more.) Garnish with additional Parmesan and the chopped basil and serve.

SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Make the tomato sauce:.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft but not browned. Add the tomatoes, crushing them in your hand to break them up. Add the basil and sugar, if using and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplants crosswise into 1/2" thick rounds and put them in a large bowl. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Toss to coat, drizzling in more oil if you needed. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 20 minutes until eggplants are very tender.
• While the eggplants are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. About 5 minutes before the eggplants are done, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente, 6-8 minutes. Drain. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer and pour it into a large pasta bowl.
• Add the drained spaghetti and stir to coat with the sauce. Fold in the eggplants and the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese, basil and red pepper flakes and another drizzle of oil, and toss gently.
• Serve immediately and pass extra cheese at the table. Enjoy!

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND TOMATO PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread out eggplant cubes and peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 3 tablespoons oil and season well with salt. Roast, turning everything, until eggplant and peppers are very soft and deeply golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in well-salted boiling water until about 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain.
• Using the large holes of a box grater, grate tomatoes over a large skillet so the pulp falls into the skillet. To do this, hold on to the curved side of the tomato in your hand and slide the cut, flat side across the holes. Stop grating just before you reach the skin.
• Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan with the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer until tomato pulp is reduced by half, then season to taste with salt.
• Add the pasta, capers and butter, if using, to the pan with the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, tossing until butter melts and pasta finishes cooking, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and toss in eggplant and cheese, if using.
• Serve pasta drizzled with a little more oil and the herbs.