Solanges Zucchini And Eggplant Pasta Recipes

SOLANGE'S ZUCCHINI AND EGGPLANT PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta. Peel and cube eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. Saute onions in olive oil. When they become soft add garlic, stirring so not to burn.
• Add tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant. Add oregano and salt. Put a lid on the skillet and let it cook until veggies are tender and cooked and most liquid has evaporated. Once pasta is cooked, throw it in the skillet and toss.
• Add and mix the shredded basil leaves in the pasta mixture. If you feel the sauce is too dry you can add a bit of the pasta water to moisten the sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese.

ZUCCHINI PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS, EGGPLANT AND ROASTED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Halve the zucchini lengthwise. Using a vegetable / potato peeler, peel long thin strands of zucchini (so that they somewhat resemble fettuccine). If desired, allow to sit at room temperature, uncovered, for a couple of hours -- this improves the texture of the zucchini.
• TO COOK THE ZUCCHINI:.
• Heat 4 cups of (salted) water to boiling. Cook the zucchini strands in the boiling water for one to two minutes, and then immediately rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process.
• TO COOK THE OTHER VEGETABLES:.
• Put the mushrooms in a microwave-safe dish and cook on high until the mushrooms are soft, about five minutes. Repeat with the eggplant, adding it to the mushrooms so that it cooks in the mushroom's juices. Add the roasted peppers to the vegetables and microwave for one minute.
• In a large bowl, toss the zucchini with the rest of the vegetables and 3/4 c pasta sauce. Spoon onto serving plates and top with the remaining 1/4 c sauce.

RIGATONI WITH ZUCCHINI AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Boil pasta according to package directions, cooking until just barely tender (a little undercooked is better than overcooked). When it's done, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
• While the pasta's cooking, sauté the eggplant, zucchini, onions, bell pepper and garlic in 2 tablespoons water in a nonstick pan over medium heat, adding more water if needed to prevent sticking. When the vegetables are tender, add the reserved pasta cooking water, 1 teaspoons basil, 1 teaspoons oregano, the rosemary, 1 teaspoons salt, tomatoes, and tomato sauce; stir, and keep warm.
• Combine the mashed tofu with the pine nuts, parsley, nutritional yeast, and remaining basil, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir the cooked rigatoni into the tofu.
• Lightly coat a 4-quart casserole with vegetable oil spray. Spread a thin layer of the vegetable mixture over the bottom (you just want a little sauce there to keep the pasta from sticking). Place a layer of half the pasta mixture, then cover with half the sautéed vegetables; repeat layers.
• Cover the casserole and bake it for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with soy Parmesan cheese, if you want.
• This is a great dish to serve to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Unfortunately, if you bring it to the Unitarian church in my town, you won't have any leftovers to bring home!

BAKED RIGATONI WITH ZUCCHINI AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cook the rigatoni in a large pot of salted water, stirring occsasionally, until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot while preparing the sauce.
• Puree the tomatoes with their juices in a blender or food processor and remove the seeds by passing the puree through a fine strainer placed over the bowl.
• In a large non-stick skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.Add half of the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove eggplant and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat procedure with remaining eggplant.
• Remove vegetable oil from skillet and add the olive oil. Over medium heat, saute the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini and onion and saute' for 6 minutes.
• Add the tomato puree, basil, and oregano. Simmer over medium heat until sauce is reduced, about 15 minutes. Stir in eggplant and season`with salt and pepper.
• Fold eggplant and zucchini sauce into the rigatoni along with mozzarella and reserved cooking water.
• Transfer the pasta to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over the top. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.
• Serve the pasta piping hot.

EGGPLANT ZUCCHINI BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. , In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, zucchini, squash, onion, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Transfer to two 15x10x1-in. baking pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes or until tender. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato puree, Italian seasoning and brown sugar. , Drain pasta; stir in tomato mixture and roasted vegetables. Sprinkle with cheese.