Aubergine is a meaty vegetable by vegetarian standards, and so it is the perfect choice when you feel like a healthy heavy meal. The rich succulent flavour of the roasted eggplant makes it a favourite meal throughout Winter. We like to eat it with pasta, baby tomatoes, spinach and feta. As you will see, it is ever so easy to prepare. All four of us love this meal and you can bet there will not be left overs. I hope you enjoy these scrumptious nightshades…

Roasted Eggplant

1 Eggplant

1 punnett of cherry tomatoes

Baby Spinach

Feta

Fresh thyme

Olive Oil (I use light olive oil for a mild flavour)

Salt/Pepper

Pasta

Method

Wash and cube a whole eggplant. Wash and halve a punnett tomatoes. Place onto a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. The quantity of oil you will use depends on the size of the eggplant, but basically you will use a lot, I use about 1/2 a cup  of light olive oil as the eggplant is like a sponge and sucks it up. I use a light olive oil for a mild flavour, that way you still get the flavour of the eggplant. I highly recommend LIGHT olive oil. The flavour is so mild I use it in baking muffins too. Once you have coated the eggplant and tomatoes with oil, sprinkle with a generous amount of fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes on 400˚F. It helps to stir while it baking 2-3 times to prevent sticking to the tray. I cut my cubes very fine to lessen the cooking time. Cooking time will depend on how you cut the eggplant. I like the eggplant to be browned, and have a golden baked appearance. While eggplant and tomatoes are roasting cook some pasta, I use penne that takes 11 minutes to cook. When eggplant and tomatoes look golden, remove from oven and put into a bowl. Stir in a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach, and 1/2 a packet of feta. Combine gently and serve on warm pasta.