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Week of 10/26/15

Pasta with Smoky Red Pepper and Eggplant Sauce
mixed greens pear salad

Active: 45 min Total: 45 min
Original GF Paleo Vegetarian
Pasta with Smoky Red Pepper and Eggplant Sauce
Cooking bell peppers and eggplants under the oven's broiler gives them a smoky flavor that, combined with creamy ricotta cheese, makes a unique sauce for pasta. Serve this pasta with a fresh salad with pears.
Dependency
Provolone Melt with Roasted Red Pepper Spread
Proteins
Cheese
Cuisines
American
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231

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
Pasta with Smoky Red Pepper and Eggplant Sauce:
  • Onions - 1/2 , diced
  • Pasta, any variety - 8 oz
  • Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
  • Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant Spread (ingredients listed separately) - ~3/4 cup
  • Cheese, ricotta - 1/2 cup
Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant Spread (enough for 2 nights):
  • Bell peppers, red - 3
  • Eggplant, Chinese - 3 lbs (sub Japanese eggplants)
  • Garlic - 2 cloves , peeled
  • Lemon - 1/2 , juice of
  • Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
  • Salt - 3/4 tsp
  • Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Mixed Greens Pear Salad:
  • Shallots - 1/2 bulb , diced
  • Vinegar, red or white wine - 1 Tbsp
  • Mustard, Dijon - 1 tsp
  • Honey - 1 tsp
  • Oil, olive - 3 Tbsp
  • Pears, any variety - 1 , sliced
  • Mixed greens - 4 oz

Prep

  1. Roast vegetables - (This makes enough for 2 nights.) Turn on your oven’s broiler. Core stem out of red peppers. Pierce eggplant all over with a fork. Brush veggies lightly with some oil. Broil on a sheet pan or grill over direct heat for 6 minutes each side. Once red pepper is charred and eggplant is softened, place in a mixing bowl and cover with a plate for ~5 minutes to steam off skins. When cool enough to touch, scrape flesh out of eggplant and skin off of red pepper. This video shows you how to roast peppers. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  2. Make spread - Peel garlic. Place flesh of eggplant, red peppers, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Reserve half the spread for Wednesday. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  3. Onions / Shallots - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  4. Make vinaigrette - Whisk together shallots, wine vinegar, mustard and honey. Add oil while whisking. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  5. Slice pears.

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Make

  1. Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Salt generously and add pasta. Cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. Use a measuring cup to reserve 1/2 cup / 118 mL of pasta water (amount for 4 servings; adjust accordingly if customizing servings). Drain.
  2. Heat a saute pan (or a wok over medium-high heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add onions and saute until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add red pepper spread (remember to reserve half for Wed.) and saute until fragrant, ~1 minute. Reduce heat to medium.
  3. To the sauce add cooked pasta, ricotta and half the pasta water. Toss to combine, adding additional pasta water if needed to make the sauce creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Toss together greens, pears and vinaigrette.
  5. Serve pasta with salad on the side and enjoy!

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