Late Summer Tomato & Eggplant Linguine
This makes 2 large servings for dinner, assuming you aren't cooking anything else to go with this vegetarian meal!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (1.6 oz) extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 small (12 oz total) fairytale eggplant, , diced (if you can't find these, you can use other eggplant- I prefer to find those that are on the smaller side)
- 8 oz baby heirloom tomatoes, , halved
- 6 garlic cloves, , crushed
- ~1.5 teaspoons diamond kosher salt (if using any other salt, use half the amount)
- 1 bunch (8 oz) greens, , cut into thin ribbons (I used beet greens, but you can also use spinach or baby kale)
- 4-6 oz whole wheat linguine, (add more or less as you want- 4 oz won't be a ton of pasta, 6 oz is a more "traditional" amount)
- optional: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1-2 ounces freshly grated parmesan or Whole Foods Italian Blend shredded cheese, (add more or less as you like!)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over low heat. Add in olive oil, diced eggplant, halved tomatoes, and garlic. Saute over low to medium heat, stirring ocassionally, for a total of 20-30 minutes (while you cook the pasta). Season with salt. There should always be a decent amount of oil here (add more if you notice any sticking) and the goal is to lightly brown the eggplant and have everything become quite tender.
- Cook pasta according to package directions- lean toward the al dente side (usually about 9 minutes if using whole wheat linguine). Make sure your pasta water is generously salted and reserve about 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid halfway through its cooking time.
- With about 5-6 minutes left on your pasta cooking time, push the eggplant/tomato mixture to one side of the pan. Add in the greens (normally my greens have just a bit of water on them because I just washed them- this actually works well because it helps them steam and reduce in size quickly). Add in a touch more oil if anything is sticking or it looks like there isn't much oil in the pan.
- Let greens completely wilt (usually about 3 minutes) and then stir in with tomatoes and eggplant mixture.
- Using tongs (I do this directly from the cooking pot), add pasta to the pan with the eggplant and tomato. Add in about 1/4 cup pasta cooking water, or more if the mixture quickly absorbs it and looks like it could use more. Season as needed. Stir in parmesan and butter, if using, right before serving.
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