Eggplant, chilli & roast capsicum pasta

A nutritious and delicious pasta dish which is simple to make within 30 minutes. This is one of those recipes which I like to use when I have a busy day. You can cook the eggplant and roast the capsicum the day before to make things easier on a very busy day. This is a vegetarian dish, but you can serve chicken breast fillet or leftover roast with this dish.

Eggplant, chilli & roast capsicum pasta

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Course dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 200 g pasta (penne, fusilli, farfalle) (use a legume pasta if you need to avoid wheat)
• 2 cups tomato purée
• 1 large eggplant
• 2 large red or yellow capsicums halved and deseeded
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic peeled and diced
• 2 hot chillies diced (keep or remove seeds according to how spicy you like)
• 3 tsp baby capers
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Handful of fresh basil leaves chopped (or herb of choice)
• Unrefined sea salt

Instructions

 

• Bring a large saucepan to high heat, add 1 ½ litre of water and bring to the boil.
• Once boiling, add pasta and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender to your liking.
• While the pasta is cooking, the eggplant and capsicum can be prepared. Once cooked, drain pasta and reserve.
• Halve eggplant lengthways.
• Place halved eggplant in a medium sized saucepan half filled with water and bring to a boil.
• Cook for 5-7 minutes until eggplant is soft in the middle and skin is tender. Remove from hot water and reserve.
• Roast capsicum halves in the oven or griller for 3-4 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized. Reserve.
• Slice cooled cooked eggplant in thick chunky slices lengthways, then in large cubes.
• Cut roast capsicum into ½ cm thick strips. Reserve.
• Add a generous dash of olive oil to medium sized saucepan and bring over medium heat.
• Once hot, add minced garlic, diced onions and cumin. Cook stirring until onion is tender and translucent.
• Add capers, diced chillies, eggplant and capsicum. Saltée or stir using a large wooden spoon for a minute.
• Add tomato purée and cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes. Add cooked pasta and chopped basil and stir the sauce through until well mixed.

  Serve hot.

Notes

Servings:  4        Prep time: 5 mins            Cook_time: 25 mins              

Ingredients

200 grs pasta (penne, fusilli, farfalle)

2 cups tomato purée

1 large eggplant

2 large red or yellow capsicums halved and deseeded

1 medium onion diced;2 large cloves of garlic peeled and minced

1-2 hot chillies diced (keep or remove seeds according to how spicy you like)

3 teaspoons baby capers

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Extra virgin olive oil

Handful of fresh basil leaves chopped (or herb of choice)

Unrefined sea salt

Directions:

Bring a large saucepan to high heat, add 1 ½ litre of water and bring to the boil.

Once boiling, add pasta and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender to your liking.

While the pasta is cooking, the eggplant and capsicum can be prepared. Once cooked, drain pasta and reserve.

Halve eggplant lengthways.

Place halved eggplant in a medium sized saucepan half filled with water and bring to a boil.

Cook for 5-7 minutes until eggplant is soft in the middle and skin is tender.

Remove from hot water and reserve.

Roast capsicum halves in the oven or griller for 3-4 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized. Reserve.

Slice cooled cooked eggplant in thick chunky slices lengthways, then in large cubes.

Cut roast capsicum into ½ cm thick strips. Reserve.

Add a generous dash of olive oil to medium sized saucepan and bring over medium heat.

Once hot, add minced garlic, diced onions and cumin. Cook stirring until onion is tender and translucent.

Add capers, diced chillies, eggplant and capsicum. Saltée or stir using a large wooden spoon for a minute.

Add tomato purée and cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes. Add cooked pasta and chopped basil and stir the sauce through until well mixed.

Serve hot.