Happy Monday guys. We are still camped out in New York, and have had a long and wonderful weekend with visiting friends. But I have to say- too much food and too many co*cktails (does this not seem to be an ongoing theme for me on the weekends?!) As I write this I am seriously stuffed to the gills with the best gluten free pizza we just had. I got overly excited about it and ate until I pushed past the point of comfort. (WHY!?! Why do I do it!?)
Now we are looking forward to the arrival of my 15 year old niece Madison tomorrow to come and stay the rest of the week. The kids are so excited to “play” with her. I am so excited to show her the city that she is experiencing for the first time and I have to admit, it will be reeeeallly nice to have a little help with the girls.
OK, here is a little something for you on Meatless Monday!! This pasta is so incredibly delicious. I wound up loving that the GF lasagna noodles emulated a rustic fat pasta cut like papardelle. It’s so pretty and has a really nice tooth to it. The sweet smoky tomato sauce is one of my current favorites and then the bright garlicky flavor of the basil walnut pistou is the best ever. Oh, and the eggplant! Just in case any of you are also growing eggplant in your gardens, or getting the best at the farmers markets and even our local markets have such great eggplant right now. The grilled char marks give it an even better flavor. Everything all together is the most wonderful summer pasta dish- enjoy!
Recipe: Pasta with Grilled Eggplant, Smoky Tomato Sauce and Basil Walnut Pistou
Ingredients
- 1 package gluten free lasagna noodles
- Smoky Tomato Sauce
- ½ eggplant, cut into rounds ¼” thick.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt
- Basil Walnut Pistou
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- kosher salt
Instructions
- For the Eggplant, preheat a grill to medium-low.
- Drizzle the eggplant slices with the olive oil and sprinkle them lightly with kosher salt. Place them on the grill with the largest pieces over the hottest part of the grill.
- Watch them carefully so they don’t burn, flipping them just as they start to soften and get good char marks on them, about 2 minutes depending on the size of the slices.
- Continue to cook them until they have the marks on the other side as well. When they are cooked to tender on both sides, remove them from the grill and set them aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gluten free lasagna noodles to al dente according to manufacturers directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the basil walnut pistou. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Season to taste with kosher salt.
- After you drain the pasta, toss it with a generous amount of the smoky tomato sauce and the eggplant. Drizzle the top of the pasta with the basil walnut pistou and serve immediately.
Preparation time: 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 45 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
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Categorized: Dinner, Grilling, Pasta, Recipe Index, Sauces, Vegan
Tagged: basil walnut pesto, grilled eggplant pasta recipe, Vegan
Happy Monday guys. We are still camped out in New York, and have had a long and wonderful weekend with visiting friends. But I have to say- too much food and too many co*cktails (does this not seem to be an ongoing theme for me on the weekends?!) As I write this I am seriously stuffed to the gills with the best gluten free pizza we just had. I got overly excited about it and ate until I pushed past the point of comfort. (WHY!?! Why do I do it!?)
Now we are looking forward to the arrival of my 15 year old niece Madison tomorrow to come and stay the rest of the week. The kids are so excited to “play” with her. I am so excited to show her the city that she is experiencing for the first time and I have to admit, it will be reeeeallly nice to have a little help with the girls.
OK, here is a little something for you on Meatless Monday!! This pasta is so incredibly delicious. I wound up loving that the GF lasagna noodles emulated a rustic fat pasta cut like papardelle. It’s so pretty and has a really nice tooth to it. The sweet smoky tomato sauce is one of my current favorites and then the bright garlicky flavor of the basil walnut pistou is the best ever. Oh, and the eggplant! Just in case any of you are also growing eggplant in your gardens, or getting the best at the farmers markets and even our local markets have such great eggplant right now. The grilled char marks give it an even better flavor. Everything all together is the most wonderful summer pasta dish- enjoy!
Recipe: Pasta with Grilled Eggplant, Smoky Tomato Sauce and Basil Walnut Pistou
Ingredients
- 1 package gluten free lasagna noodles
- Smoky Tomato Sauce
- ½ eggplant, cut into rounds ¼” thick.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt
- Basil Walnut Pistou
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- kosher salt
Instructions
- For the Eggplant, preheat a grill to medium-low.
- Drizzle the eggplant slices with the olive oil and sprinkle them lightly with kosher salt. Place them on the grill with the largest pieces over the hottest part of the grill.
- Watch them carefully so they don’t burn, flipping them just as they start to soften and get good char marks on them, about 2 minutes depending on the size of the slices.
- Continue to cook them until they have the marks on the other side as well. When they are cooked to tender on both sides, remove them from the grill and set them aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gluten free lasagna noodles to al dente according to manufacturers directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the basil walnut pistou. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Season to taste with kosher salt.
- After you drain the pasta, toss it with a generous amount of the smoky tomato sauce and the eggplant. Drizzle the top of the pasta with the basil walnut pistou and serve immediately.
Preparation time: 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 45 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Recipe by Heather Christo (http://heatherchristo.com)
