Roasted Vegetables & Pasta

My first recipe post -- woohoo!  I am very excited that it is one of my own concoctions I am posting to get started.  I create some pretty unique dishes, not all of them great, but most of them passing.  This was definitely one of my successes.  It was just supposed to be an easy, use up the veggies in the fridge and throw them in with some pasta night, but I found a gorgeous eggplant at the store and then worked this recipe out in my head on the way home.

Roasted Vegetables & Pasta

1 Eggplant

2 Peppers (I used green, but red, orange or yellow would be great as well)

1 medium Onion

3 tablespoons Olive Oil (plus some for brushing on veggies)

3-4 cloves Garlic

5 Plum Tomatoes

1/2 box Pasta (I used whole wheat Rotini, but any works just fine)

4-6 oz. cubed fresh mozzarella (smoked would be yummy too)

1-2 tablespoon(s) Fresh Basil 

Salt

Pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450.  Start water for pasta.
  
• Slice eggplant in 1/4-1/2 inch rounds.  Cut peppers into quarters.  Slice onion into 1/4 inch rounds.  Spread vegetables out on baking sheets.  Brush with olive oil and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Flip over and repeat on other side.  
• Roast about 10 minutes, turn vegetable over and roast 10 minutes on opposite sides.
• When water comes to a boil, salt and add pasta.  
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Add in 3-4 cloves of minced garlic.  Let saute.  
• De-seed 5 plum tomatoes and cut into strips.  Add to olive oil and garlic.  Saute one minute, then turn off heat.  Add in chopped basil.  
• When the vegetables are roasted, remove from oven, let cool 1-2 minutes and roughly chop into bite-size pieces.  
• To a large bowl add oil/garlic/tomatoes and roasted vegetables.  Add in pasta after cooked and drained.  Add in mozzarella and toss all to combine.
• Serve!