The fresh herbs are the key component of this rustic dish. Since there is no sauce, the flavors come from the herbs and roasting of the veggies.The ricotta is dropped in by spoonfuls throughout the pasta adding a wonderful, creamy, rich flavor that is
guilt free!
I love this pasta made with semolina! I get mine at Costco in a variety pack, they also have spagetti noodles. It cooks up perfectly and is so much better for you than "white, enriched" pasta. I've tried to love whole wheat pasta but just can't get past the gritty, cardboard taste. Semolina is just as good for you and tastes wonderful.
Actually, even though 100% durum wheat isn’t as dark of a color as something labeled “whole wheat,” it actually is a coarsely ground whole grain. Durum wheat is a class of wheat. Durum wheat is preferred for pasta because it is high in protein, dense and strong. Semolina is 100 % whole grain, because it contains the entire wheat berry ( the entire wheat kernel, without the hull, which contains the bran, germ, and endosperm.) and the full spectrum of nutrients and fiber. In contrast, “white” pasta is refined and processes out much of the nutritional value. In short, duram semolina is the gritty coarse particles of wheat left after the finer flour has passed through a bolting machine.
Cook Time: 30 min. & 20 min.
Serves 6-8
You will need:
9 oz. of Semolina, Rigattoni pasta, cooked according to package
about 1 cup of Ricotta Cheese ( or lowfat cottage cheese)
2 medium eggplants (pick eggplants that are firm and shiny)
12-14 Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 Vidallia Onion (sweet onion)
1 medium Red Bell Pepper (High in vitamins C, B6, A and E and Iron, Fiber & Potassium.)
1 TBSP EVOO
fresh herbs, Thyme, Oregano, Basil and Parsley
Kosher salt for preparing eggplant
Putting it all Together:
~ First! Peel eggplant with a butcher knife; don't be afraid to try new veggies, they LOVE you! I don't worry about peeling it perfectly. I like to leave a bit of the skin on, it looks pretty.
~ Slice the eggplant into about 1 1/2 inch slices. Then, cut slices into quarters. Place cut eggplant into large colander a bit at a time sprinkling generously with salt after each layer. This extracts the slight bitter taste. I fill a bowl or large zip lock bag with water and place it on top of the eggplant to help extract the juices. Leave alone for 30-40 minutes.
~ Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400̊ . Cut your cherry tomatoes in half. Cut your onion and RBP into pieces as big as the tomatoes.
~ Place all veggies except eggplant into a large bowl and drizzle with 1 tsp of EVOO, mix to coat (I've found you need to use less oil when you do it this way). Put on baking sheet and into oven for 15 minutes. Remove, set aside.
~ Rinse eggplant under cold running water very well to remove salt. Put them on a kitchen towel, pat to dry. Put eggplant into the same bowl you used for the onion & RBP and drizzle them with a TBSP EVOO, toss to coat. Eggplant soaks up oil so don't use too much! It doesn't need to look evenly coated.
~ Spread evenly on baking sheet and cook at 400̊ for 15 minutes. Don't crowd your veggies or they will steam and be soggy. You want to roast them not steam them.
~ While eggplant is roasting, boil pasta al dente.
~ Put all veggies along with cooked pasta into a casserole dish.
~ Roughly chop and then sprinkle all the herbs onto pasta mix.
~ Gently toss ingredients around to combine and to coat the dish with oil.
Drop Ricotta Cheese by spoonfuls onto pasta mix.
Bake at 400̊ for about 20 minutes.
I hope I didn't make that sound difficult because it really isn't!
I just feel the need to explain things in detail.
Let me know what you guys think. I would really appreciate any and all comments or suggestions!
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Serving Size 1 (332g)
Recipe makes 6 servings
Calories 309
Calories from Fat 78 (25%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 8.7g 13%
Saturated Fat 3.9g 19%
Monounsaturated Fat 3.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 20mg 6%
Sodium 43mg 1%
Potassium 676mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 47.2g 15%
Dietary Fiber 8.6g 34%
Sugars 7.3g
Protein 12.7g 25%
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