Bucatini with Eggplant and Roasted Peppers

Okay well, in all honesty, I couldn't find an organic (and non-enriched) pasta in the bucatini shape - a long, hollow pasta slightly thicker than spaghetti or linguine. However, either of those two last would make a good substitute, so I used the linguine from Bionaturae. This delicious Tuscan dish would go perfectly with the Stuffed Onions with Chianti Sauce that I made last night!

Cut a yellow bell pepper in half and discard the seeds and membrane. Flatten with the palm of your hand and then place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil until blackened. The recipe instructions said this would take 10 minutes, but I've learned that with my oven I need 15. Transfer the pepper to a zip lock bag and let stand 15 minutes, then peel and cut into strips. Set aside.

Meanwhile, lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Peel a small eggplant (about 6 ounces) and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in an 8x8-inch baking dish and pour 1/2 a cup of water over the eggplant. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes. The recipe noted to add more water 'as needed', but I did not add any extra.

Heat a teaspoon and a half of olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet. Add 1 tablespoon chopped oregano, 1 tablespoon capers and 1 minced garlic clove; saute 1 minute.

Stir in the roasted bell pepper, the eggplant, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. black pepper and 3 chopped and seeded plum tomatoes. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the vegetables are cooking, cook 6 ounces of whatever pasta shape you chose according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

Combine the pasta, the vegetable mixture, and another teaspoon and a half of olive oil in a large bowl, along with the reserved cooking liquid if you need it to keep the pasta moist (I added mine).

Place 1 and 2/3 cups of pasta on each of 3 plates. Top each with 2 tablespoons of shredded vegan cheese in place of romano - I used the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods. Each serving is 340 calories.

Cost:
yellow bell pepper $2.11
eggplant $0.90
fresh oregano $2.49
plum tomato $1.69
linguine $3.19