My husband adores a baked pasta. His favorite is the baked spaghetti served at Athens Pizza House here in Atlanta, but whenever I get the chance, I like to create new and different versions of his favorite comfort food. For this version, I have tossed al dente orecchiette pasta with a homemade kale and walnut pesto—that along with roasted cherry tomatoes and cubes of roasted eggplant makes for a hearty yet healthy vegetarian pasta. The best part about any baked pasta is of course, the cheesey, browned, crispy topping. For this specific baked pasta I used rounds of fresh mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan cheese and crispy Panko breadcrumbs.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Baked Orechiette with Roast Eggplant, Cherry Tomatoes & Kale-Walnut Pesto
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. dried orecchiette pasta, cooked to al dente (save a cup of the cooking liquid)
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
- 1 small eggplant, cut into cubes
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- For the pesto:
- 3 cups Lacinato kale, roughly chopped
- 1 large garlic clove
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup walnut halves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh lemon juice to taste
- For the topping:
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into rounds
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Drizzle of olive oil
Directions:
- Place the cooked pasta and 1/4 cup of the warm cooking liquid in a large mixing bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil; coat with olive oil cooking spray. Arrange the cubed eggplant and cherry tomatoes on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast the veggies for 18-20 minutes, or until tender. Toss the veggies with the pasta.
- To make the pesto, pulse its ingredients together until smooth in the bowl of a food processor. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Toss the pesto into the pasta with the vegetables. If you need to thin out the sauce,e add in more of the reserved cooking liquid.
- Reduce the oven temp to 350. Spray a round casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour the pasta mixture into the bowl. Top with the rounds of fresh mozzarella, about 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, and about 1/2 cup of the Panko.
- Drizzle the top with olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is browned and the cheesy, gooey and melted.
Tagged: baked pasta, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, fresh mozzarella cheese, garlic, kale, kale and walnut pesto, orecchiette, panko, panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, pasta, pesto, roasted cherry tomatoes, roasted eggplant, roasted vegetables, vegetarian pasta, walnuts
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