Roasted Eggplant And Pasta Caprese Food

ROASTED EGGPLANT PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Roast eggplant and onions: arrange sliced onions and diced eggplant on a sheet pan and toss with oil, garlic powder, and a generous pinch of salt & pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes - flip halfway through roasting time.
• Cook pasta: bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta as box instructs. I like to cook the noodles until they are al dente in texture! Tip: al dente means "to the tooth" - the pasta should have a bite to it and not be too soft.
• Heat sauce: In a sauce pan, simmer the marinara on low to heat up. Fold in roasted eggplant and onions to sauce when they're finished cooking.
• Serve: Serve pasta noodles with eggplant and marinara sauce, chopped fresh basil, and parmesan cheese!

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.

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.

EGGPLANT AND TOMATO CAPRESE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Or, prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals or set a gas grill to medium-high heat.
• Brush the eggplant slices generously with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill until charred on the outside and soft on the inside, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
• On a large rectangular platter, layer the tomatoes, mozzarella, eggplant and basil in diagonal rows. Drizzle generously with vinegar and olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Serve at room temperature.

ROASTED EGGPLANT CAPRESE SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spread the eggplant slices on a large tray and sprinkle generously with salt. Leave for 30 minutes; the eggplant will "sweat out" it's bitterness. When ready, pat the eggplant dry.
• Place the eggplant slices and the tomato slices on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the 425 F degree heated-oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, but leave the oven on for step # 5.
• When the eggplant and tomatoes are cool enough to handle, bring a small baking dish (about 6"x 9") and begin to assemble the Caprese salad. Arrange the eggplant, tomato, cheese and basil in the baking dish forming a tight row. Repeat the pattern (as you see in the tutorial picture below) until you fill the baking dish side-to-side.
• If you like, place the baking dish in the oven to heat for 7-10 minutes (just until the cheese melts slightly).
• While the Caprese salad warms up, make the basil vinaigrette. In a small food processor, blend the chopped garlic with the basil leaves, olive oil, lime juice and spices.
• When ready, remove the roasted eggplant Caprese salad from the oven and spoon some of the basil vinaigrette on top. Place the extra basil vinaigrette in a bowl to serve next to the salad. Slice a loaf of crusty bread to serve along. Enjoy!

ROASTED EGGPLANT FOR PASTA AND RECIPES

Steps:

• Place eggplant cubes on a plate and sprinkle with salt then let them sit for 30 minutes to remove bitterness. Rinse off the cubes in a collander then pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place eggplant cubes onto a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle the oil over them.
• Grind the fresh pepper over the eggplant to give them all a light dusting.
• Sprinkle the just under 1 tsp salt over the cubes.
• Sprinkle the garlic powder over the cubes.
• Bake for 30 minutes, give it a stir midway thru.