The farmer’s market is bustling with all the vibrant colors of summer!  What caught my eyes this weekend were the purple eggplants and yellow cherry tomatoes.  I decided to make a pasta salad dish with these ingredients because:  1) this might be a good dish to pack for lunch without having to reheat; 2) this dish might be a great dish to bring to the beach.  Come to think of it, with a cold pasta salad, I can pretty much make it ahead of time and bring it anywhere!

EATS: Mediterranean Pasta with Eggplant, Olives, Grapes, and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant, cubed (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup grapes, halved
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsemic vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup penne pasta
• 1 bunch fresh basil

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss cubed eggplant and chopped olives with 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil on a baking sheet. Really get in there and massage the eggplant to make sure that the cubes are coated with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until eggplant is tender, about 18-20 minutes.
• While the eggplant is in the oven, cook pasta al dente; drain well and set aside.  You can drizzle it with some olive oil to prevent them from sticking.
• Whisk together 3 Tsp of olive oil, 2 Tsp balsamic vinegar in the serving bowl.
• When the eggplant/olives mixture is tender, toss it in the serving bowl along with the pasta and mix well
• Toss in the halved tomatoes and grapes and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with basil
• Go ahead, admire the color explosion, and enjoy!