Grilled Veggie Pasta

Okay, why did no one tell me that the end of pregnancy is crazy exhausting (okay, I’m sure someone did, I just didn’t listen)? I turned in my manuscript to my editor earlier this week (YAY!), and it’s like the second I pressed “send” on that email, my body said, “Cool, now that that’s done, we sleep.” I had this awesome plan that as soon as I finished my manuscript, I was going to do all the nesting in the world. I was going to sew. And fold baby clothes. And clean. And make tons of freezer recipes. As evidenced by my lack of posting, none of that has happened. I have been napping like a rockstar, though. You guys probably don’t want to see a post about napping, do you?

Anywho, while I haven’t really been checking things off my to-do list with the vigor I had hoped, I have been trying to keep up with making us good, yummy, nourishing meals. I figure that it’s going to be a while before I get back into the swing of cooking post-birth, so I should probably take advantage of cooking sans-baby while I can. And I’ve been all about the grill lately!

This veggie pasta is one of those recipes that I’m not sure it’s possible to convey its deliciousness through any amount of words or photographs. It tastes like everything that is good and right about summer in one big bowl.

I’m not kidding when I say I think I could alternate this with Grilled Herb and Tomato Flatbread every night between now and the end of September and be a completely happy girl. I like variety as much as the next person, but when you land on insane, simple yumminess, why mess with perfection?

I think the key to this veggie pasta dish is using the freshest ingredients you can get your hands on. I wouldn’t try this with dried herbs or bottled lemon juice. The elements or so simple, that they really need to be the best they can be. We actually managed to get our hands on some (very early) tomatoes around here, and while they aren’t quite July-worthy tomatoes, they are still pretty darn good and add tons of flavor to this. And our fresh herbs are taking off like crazy just outside our kitchen door! I can’t wait to make this again in late summer with the freshest, most flavorful veggies I can grab from our garden.

Enjoy. I’m going to go take a nap. Yawn.

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Grilled Veggie Pasta

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This veggie-packed pasta gets all it's flavor from fresh herbs, grilled veggies and a hefty dose of lemon and parmesan—it doesn't need any sauce!

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Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, sliced into planks
• 1 large zucchini, sliced into bite-sized chunks
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 4 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 Portabella mushroom caps, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/3 cup each fresh minced basil, oregano and parsley
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 1 pound whole grain penne, cooked and drained according to directions
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Spread the eggplant planks onto a clean kitchen towel, and sprinkle liberally with coarse salt (don’t worry, this doesn’t make it taste salty, it just brings out any bitterness the eggplant may have). Let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse under cold water. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. Toss together the eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, mushrooms, and one tablespoon olive oil in a grill basket. Place on grill, and cook, stirring every 5 minutes, for about 15 minutes, or until veggies are all very tender.
4. Remove from the grill, and in a large bowl, toss together the veggies with all remaining ingredients (including the remaining two tablespoons olive oil). Salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 98mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 6g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.