Description
A quick weeknight summer dinner featuring everybody’s favorite vegetable to pick on – eggplant. Prepared correctly, it yields a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a complex sweetness that leaves you craving more! A simple pesto recipe to coat the noodles, and sweet, ripe cherry tomatoes bring it all together.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Eggplant:
- 2 medium (6″ long and skinny) eggplant, preferably the Japanese variety
- salt
- 3–5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the Pesto and Pasta:
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 heaping cups packed basil leaves (I used sweet Thai basil)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- dash cayenne pepper
- 3–4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt, to taste (about 1/4 tsp)
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Eggplant:
- Cut the eggplant into a 1/2-inch dice. Place in a colander set atop a couple paper towels (or something to catch the drips) and sprinkle very generously with salt. Toss well and let sit for 30 minutes or so. You should see beads of water form on the surface of the eggplant. Rinse briefly but thoroughly with water. Shake off as much of water as you can, or pat dry with paper towels.
- Warm 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet and add the eggplant. Cook over medium to medium-high heat, tossing every few minutes, until nicely browned on all sides.
For the Pesto and Pasta:
- While the eggplant sweats (in the salt), boil a large pot of water and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Slice your tomatoes and set aside.
- Place all remaining pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until mostly smooth. If it won’t run through the blades, you can add more oil. Add more lemon juice, cayenne, salt, or pepper according to your taste preferences.
- Drain the pasta and toss to coat evenly with the pesto. Add the eggplant and tomatoes, and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Vegan, Pasta, Pesto, Italian, Comfort Food, eggplant, tomato