Tomato and Eggplant Pasta

Tomato & Eggplant Pasta

 Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium white onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can peeled and crushed, or diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup basil (about 10 leaves), torn
• kalamata olives
• 1 box of whole wheat (vegan) bow tie pasta (farfalle), cooked al dente

fresh black pepper , coarse grained salt

 (you can add any optional items – mushrooms, squash etc… just throw them in with the onion/eggplant mixture)

Directions

Place eggplant in a colander and season generously with salt. Let it stand for 20-30 minutes .Rinse the salt off the eggplant, and pat dry.  When you salt and rinse eggplant, it will absorb less oil during the cooking process.

Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, add eggplant and cook, stirring often, until golden brown on all sides, about 20 minutes.

Add garlic, tomatoes + juice to the pan. Stir in the salt/pepper to taste. Simmer until sauce has slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes or longer depending on how juicy your tomatoes are. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the basil & olives and cook 1 minute more. Serve over the pasta.