Eggplant, Red Pepper and Cherry Tomato Pasta

We had a delicious meal the other night and I think I’ve found another tricky way to get my suddenly veggie-adverse 3 year-old to get a few vitamins in without him knowing. He’s kind of obsessed with pasta and noodles right now, so I roasted eggplant until it was soft and almost like a puree, then added it to onions, red pepper and cherry tomatoes to make a pasta sauce. The eggplant and sauce ended up coating the pasta, so although he picked out all of the peppers, tomatoes and onions I know he got a helping of eggplant.

Eggplant, Red Pepper and Cherry Tomato Pasta
serves 4-6

1 eggplant, roasted
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup water
1 box penne pasta (or whatever other type you’d like to use)
olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper

1. Roast the eggplant by slicing it in half lengthwise, sprinkling it with kosher salt and placing it cut side up on a sheet pan to bake in a 400 degree oven until it is soft and the tops are browned. When its done, remove it from the oven and scrape out the inside, discarding the peel.

2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat, then add the onions and peppers and saute them until they begin to soften and brown lightly.

3. Add the roasted eggplant and stir well to break up the eggplant and combine with with the peppers and onions.

4. Add the minced garlic and cherry tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Also add kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste.

5. Turn down the heat to medium low and add  1/2 cup water to the pan, stirring well. If the sauce begins to dry out too much, add more water from the pasta pot as needed.

6. Meanwhile, salt and boil water and cook the penne pasta according to the package directions.

7. When the pasta is ready, add it to the sauce along with a bit more water if you need to, then mix the pasta and sauce well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.

8. Serve topped with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese to taste.