AJ – It’s hard to believe that tomatoes are classified as fruit, until you’ve actually roasted them. Roasting concentrates the tomato flavor and really brings forward it’s natural sweetness. If you’ve never roasted tomatoes, you are in for a real treat. It simply involves tossing them in olive oil and seasoning with salt. Other flavor elements can be added in the way of garlic, fresh herbs or cracked black pepper.
Pasta with Roasted Tomato, Garlic and Eggplant
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 6
This roasted pasta dish is a great way to use up any bits and pieces of tomato you might be left with. I couldn’t resist throwing in a handful of mini eggplant. Feel free to use chunks of a standard size eggplant or simply eliminate it.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds tomatoes
- ½ pound eggplant
- 6 – 8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Herb sprigs, such as basil, oregano, marjoram, winter savory, or thyme
- 1 pound dry pasta
- ⅓ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, plus additional for serving
- 1 small bunch arugula, trimmed
- Fresh ricotta cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a large baking sheet.
- If using cherry tomatoes, leave whole. Cut medium and large tomatoes in half.
- If using mini eggplant, cut in half. Cut large eggplant into 1 inch-pieces.
- Arrange tomatoes, eggplant and garlic on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste; toss gently. Arrange herb sprigs over vegetables, reserve some leaves for serving. Roast vegetables in preheated oven 25-30 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Discard herb sprigs. Cut large tomato halves into smaller chunks.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and reserve some of the cooking water.
- Meanwhile, peel roasted garlic and place in a large bowl; mash with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. When ready, add pasta, roasted vegetables and fresh herb leaves to bowl. Toss, adding some of reserved water if dry. Add grated cheese and toss again.
- Arrange arugula in bottom of a large serving bowl. Add pasta and serve immediately with a bowl of ricotta and additional Parmigiano.