Description
This easy roasted eggplant spinach pasta is packed full of earthy roasted eggplant pieces mixed with fresh baby spinach and all doused in marinara sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 medium eggplant, approximately 1 - 1 1/2 pounds
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for cooking pasta
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pound penne pasta or 12 ounces gluten free pasta
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 3 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut eggplant into approximately 1" cubes and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Drizzle eggplant with 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper & oregano.
- Roast eggplant in the oven for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through, until browned.
- While the eggplant is roasting, bring a large pot with 4 quarts of water to boil over medium high heat. Once water begins to boil add 1 Tablespoon of salt and then add in dried pasta. Stir and cook for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. (Cooking times may vary with gluten free pasta)
- When pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/2 cup of the water and drain the rest from the pasta. Set aside.
- When the eggplant is done roasting, heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in the pot that the pasta was cooked in over medium-high heat. Add in the roasted eggplant and baby spinach. Cook while stirring occasionally until the spinach just wilts, about 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the marinara and reserved pasta water. Stir and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes to heat the sauce through.
- Add cooked drained pasta and toss with the sauce to combine everything.
- Category: main dish, pasta
- Method: oven, stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Keywords: eggplant, spinach, pasta, vegetarian, vegan