Charred Eggplant Pasta with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Delicious, very flavorful, and comes together pretty quickly. 

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1/2 cup pecans, toasted

1 shallot (or 1/4 cup diced onions)

4 roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 lb (half bag/box) orecchiette or other short pasta

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp chopped parsley

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

olive oil

Directions:

For the eggplant: Heat the grill on high. Place the eggplant onto the grill and cover the lid. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning the eggplant every 5 minutes or so to fully rotate. The eggplant should be blackened on the outside and tender on the inside. Let the eggplant cool then peel off the blackened skin, discarding the stem. Roughly chop the eggplant. Set aside. 

For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta. Save the pasta water. 

For the sauce: Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a pan on medium heat and saute the shallots (or onion) until slightly caramelized. Add the diced tomatoes and some salt. Turn up the heat and cook until the tomatoes start to caramelize/brown a little. Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Stir in the chopped eggplant, red wine vinegar, and honey. Reduce the heat to low and cook for a few minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Bring the sauce to a simmer.  Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Stir well to coat.Stir in 1/4 cup olive oil and the parsley. Taste and season with more salt as desired. 

Add crumbled goat cheese and and toasted pecans over the top. Enjoy!

Source: theoriginaldish