Roasted Tomato & Aubergine Pasta with Sesame-Crusted Feta, Toasted Pine Nuts & Parsley
A delicious Middle-Eastern twist to ‘Pasta alla Norma’, with home-roasted aubergine and tomato sauce, sesame crusted feta, parsley & pomegranates with a drizzle of tahini for good measure (it’s one of my favourite ingredients if you hadn’t noticed by now). Aubergines add a wonderful meat-like element to vegetarian dishes, making this recipe comforting, nourishing, and very filling! Goes great with a glass of red wine too.
Time: 1 hour Servings: 5-6
Ingredients
4 aubergines, chopped into bitesize cubes
300g cherry tomatoes
2 small red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp za’atar
salt & pepper
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
100g feta, cut into 2cm triangles
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp plain flour
4 tbsp black & white sesame seeds
400g dried good quality pasta
3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
fresh parsley to garnish
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan and line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Toss the aubergine cubes, cherry tomatoes, and red onion in olive oil, za’atar, salt & pepper and roast for 20 minutes. Add the garlic, give the veg a stir and roast for another 15 minutes until the aubergines are softened with a slight bite and the cherry tomatoes have started to burst.
- Meanwhile, prep the feta. Line up the beaten egg, flour, and sesame seeds in three small bowls then dip the feta pieces into each, in that order. Arrange on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes at 200C fan after the vegetables have come out of the oven.
- While the feta is baking, make the tomato sauce. Add half of the roasted vegetables to a high speed blender with 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp tomato paste. Blend to form a smooth mixture and add salt & pepper to taste.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain, retaining 300 ml of the pasta water.
- Add the roasted veg, tomato sauce and pasta water to a large pan and heat through, then add the cooked pasta. Toss everything thoroughly.
- Serve pasta with the sesame-crusted feta, toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, fresh parsley and a drizzle of tahini for extra creaminess.
