With farmers markets still brimming with tomatoes, onions, a ton of zucchini and eggplant, it’s time to use them up.
Grilling those vegetables brings out their sweet flavor, making them a good fit in many dishes. You can use them as a pizza topping, make or add them to sandwiches or serve as a side dish. The best way to grill the vegetables is to brush them with a bit of olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
In today’s recipe for Grilled Veggies with Penne Pasta the vegetables are also seasoned with a salt-free seasoning, think Mrs. Dash. It’s a filling dish because each serving has a good amount of vegetables. So consider this a dish to get in a serving of vegetables.
What this dish doesn’t have is an added sauce. Instead, the sauce comes from the juices of the cooked tomatoes and olive oil. If it doesn’t seem like enough or the ingredients and pasta seem too dry, add some of the starchy reserved pasta water.
This recipe goes together quickly if you have all the ingredients cut and prepped. It’s important to cut the eggplant, onions and zucchini the same size so they cook evenly.
Grilled veggies with penne pasta
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
If you have the ingredients prepped and ready to go, this recipe goes together quickly. Use regular pasta or a whole wheat variety.
1 lb. penne pasta
2 pints grape tomatoes
1/3 cup fruity olive oil, divided
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 medium (about 6-8 inches) eggplant
2 medium red onions
2 medium zucchini
1 large red pepper
1/2 tsp. favorite salt-free all-purpose seasoning, such as Mrs. Dash
1 container (7-8 ounces) cherry or pearl-size fresh mozzarella, drained
1/3 cup fresh sliced basil or oregano leaves for garnish
Preheat the grill to medium-high. When the grill is hot, oil the grates.
While the grill heats up, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water, and keep warm.
Place grape tomatoes on a double piece of foil. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Enclose the tomatoes in the foil and place on the grill while you prepare the other vegetables.
Use a serrated knife to cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Slice the red onion into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Cut the red pepper into eighths.
Place all vegetables on a sided baking sheet. Brush both sides of vegetables with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil (using more if needed), sprinkle with kosher salt, black pepper and salt-free seasoning.
Place all the vegetables on the grill and grill about 5 minutes on each side or until they are tender. They should have nice grill marks on each side. If some vegetables get done before the others, move them to a cooler part of the grill.
Check the grape tomatoes; they should have burst open in the foil packet and be nice and juicy.
Remove all the vegetables from the grill. Cut the eggplant, zucchini and red pepper into 1-inch pieces. Separate the red onion into rings.
In a large serving bowl, toss the hot pasta with the grilled vegetables. Add the tomatoes with all the juices and toss to coat. If the mixture seems too dry, drizzle with some of the reserved pasta water or use a bit more olive oil. Add the mozzarella and toss again. Serve in pasta bowls garnished with basil or oregano.
From and tested by Susan M. Selasky in the Free Press Test Kitchen.
534 calories (34 percent from fat), 20 g fat (5 grams saturated fat), 69 grams carbohydrates, 21 g protein, 863 mg sodium, 30 mg cholesterol, 11 g fiber.
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