Friday Recipe: Summer Bounty Pasta

Got veggies? If you have a garden or a CSA share, I'll bet you do! At the farmers' market, eggplants, zucchinis, tomatoes, garlic, and onions abound. How about roasting them in the oven while you play outside, then tossing them with pasta when you're ready to chow down?

I saved the big tomatoes for sauce

I made this a few weeks ago with the first eggplant in the garden. It was perfect summer comfort food, good for a chilly night, and great at room temperature the next day. I think I used these ingredients*:

1 big eggplant
2 small summer squash
2 garlic bulbs
A quart or so of cherry tomatoes

Fresh or dried herbs: basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and/or thyme

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

1 lb. pasta 

1/2 lb. feta cheese, cut into small cubes (our feta is somewhat creamy, which worked nicely)

*Peppers and onions would be nice additions too

Chop Chop

It's Easy:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Cut eggplant and squash into cubes of the same size, between 1/2" and 1". If your garlic cloves are small, just peel them. Mine were huge, so I cut them in half. Chop herbs. 

3. In an oven-safe pan, sprinkle the vegetables with good salt and freshly ground pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat.

4. Roast vegetables for an hour or until they are tender, stirring once or twice. 

5. Make some pasta.

The picture doesn't do it justice; it's comfort food

6. Toss your squishy, saucy roasted veggies with the pasta and the feta cheese. Add more fresh parsley and basil if you like. Devour.