Rigatoni with Roasted Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch

Last week's swap had me at pine nut crunch.  Seriously, anything would taste good with a pine nut crunch topping.  I spotted this recipe in Bon Appetit's March 2011 issue.  I find one-pot pasta dishes especially appealing because you can cook and assemble everything early in the day or late the night before and throw it in the oven before dinner time.  They are easy to bring to a friend who needs a little mealtime love, perfect for next day leftovers for an always hungry husband, interesting for an adorable two year old and simple for a mid-week neighborly food swap.

Picture of pasta before putting in oven.  Please note delicious pine nut crunch topping.

Rigatoni with Roasted Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch (from Bon Appetit March 2011)

Ingredients

1 unpeeled large eggplant (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used 2 graffiti eggplants)
2 medium yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch squares
2 cups grape tomatoes
3 large garlic cloves, divided
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cups (firmly packed) fresh basil leaves, divided
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 pound rigatoni (I used whole wheat)
1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes


Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. 

Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray; add eggplant and peppers. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise; add to sheet. Using garlic press, squeeze 1 garlic clove onto vegetables. Drizzle vegetables with oil; toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until tender, stirring often, 35 to 45 minutes. (I forgot to stir and they were fine. Only roasted mine for 35 minutes)

I tried to keep to the strict 1/2 inch cuts.  I was tempted to get out a ruler. 

Combine 2/3 cup basil, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pine nuts, and 1 garlic clove in mini processor. Blend until crumbly. Season topping with salt.

Well, hello pine nut crunch.  I love you.

Blend tomatoes with juice, cream, 1 1/3 cups basil, and 1 garlic clove in processor until smooth. Season sauce with salt and pepper.  (I lapped up this sauce....it was delish).

Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally; drain. 

Return to pot. Toss with vegetables, sauce, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Transfer to 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella and pine nut topping.

Bake pasta until heated through, 25 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Bon Appetit gives some great little tips for cooking.  The one highlighted in the pasta feature was to always let a baked pasta dish stand for 10 minutes so the cheese can set and you don't get a second degree burn on your tongue. I found this incredibly helpful.  Otherwise, I would have stuck my head in the oven to lick the pine nut topping right off.  

In other interesting news...I thought I would share one of my favorite kitchen items of late. My can-call-anytime-for-anything-and-always-feel-loved friend in Chicago sent me these awesome food labels for Christmas.  They make me feel fancy.  Felix Doolittle Labels.  

I have these lovelies.

While I was perusing Felix Doolittle's site, I found these playdate cards.  At first, they made me laugh thinking about handing them out to women I might meet at the farmer's market or yoga studio.  Then I thought they make good sense for those moms who live in a bigger city and feel isolated after the typical hibernation period that results from having a child.  They also started me daydreaming again about living someplace outside of the US.  I worked up a whole scene of pedaling down some cobblestone street with Jude in a bakfiets on our way to the local market for ingredients for dinner.  I would be calling out salut, hallo, ciao or tja to other moms while handing out these - 

Later, we would get our kids together to play and discuss important topics like the beauty of pine nut crunch.