Meatless Monday - Eggplant, Peppers, & Pasta!

This recipe was featured on meatlessmonday.com! See it here


My neighbors are away for a few weeks and while they're away, they told me I could pick up their CSA share since they won't be around. I am so excited to have this opportunity!

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares are a good way to support local agriculture. You invest in shares of a local farm, and then every week for the harvesting season you get a box full of fresh produce. You never know what you are going to get, which makes quite a fun adventure. Last week, I got carrots, lettuce, yellow cherry tomatoes, eggplant, peaches, and more!

I thought that this might be the perfect opportunity to enact my Meatless Monday Movement that I have been trying to begin. Going meatless just for one day largely reduces your carbon footprint and saves precious resources like water and fossil fuel. It can also reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. To find out more about the benefits of going meatless for a day, visit http://www.meatlessmonday.com.

This recipe was a great use of many of the vegetables that I had gotten. It was so good, it even satisfied my uber-carnivorous boyfriend, Ryan!

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 bell peppers cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 pound cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the broth and tortellini. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini are cooked through and most of the broth is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.

Fold in the parsley and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.