Rigatoni With Eggplant And Dried Tomato Pesto

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound)
• 6 ounces dried rigatoni pasta (such as penne or fusilli) or 6 ounces other short pasta (such as penne or fusilli)
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons crumbled chevre cheese (goat cheese) (optional) or 2 tablespoons feta cheese (optional)
• fresh italian parsley
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomato packed in oil, reserving oil (about 3/4 of a 7-ounce jar)
• olive oil, to equal 1/2 cup
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup pine nuts or 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 cut onion into 8 wedges. place in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; brush with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. roast in a 425 degree f oven for 10 minutes.
• 2 cut stem end off eggplant; discard. cut eggplant in half lengthwise. brush with remaining olive oil. stir onion; place eggplant in pan, cut sides down. continue roasting for 15 minutes more or until onion is golden brown and eggplant is just tender.
• 3 meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. toss the cooked pasta with dried tomato pesto and pepper.
• 4 transfer pasta to a serving bowl; keep warm.
• 5 transfer eggplant to a cutting board; using a serrated knife, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. (use a fork to steady eggplant as you slice.)
• 6 toss eggplant and onion with pasta; season to taste with salt. top with cheese and italian parsley, if desired. makes 6 to 8 side-dish servings or 4 main-dish servings.
• 7 dried tomato pesto: drain 3/4 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes (about 3/4 of a 7-ounce jar), reserving oil. add olive oil to equal 1/2 cup; set aside. in a food processor bowl or blender container, combine the drained tomatoes; 8 cloves garlic, chopped; 1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds; 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed; and 1/2 teaspoon salt. cover and process or blend until finely chopped. with machine running, gradually add the 1/2 cup oil, processing or blending until almost smooth and stopping to scrape down sides as needed. divide pesto into thirds. use a third for rigatoni with eggplant and refrigerate the remaining 2 portions up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. makes approximately three 1/3-cup portions.