Meatless Monday - Grilled Eggplant with Pesto and Pasta

Coming up with ways to use seasonal produce is always a fun challenge for me.  With an abundance of basil in my garden, I always have pesto on hand.  This delicious meatless meal will definitely satisfy!

Grilled Eggplant with Pesto and Pasta (serves 8)

• 1 medium eggplant, sliced into rounds
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1 lb of twisty pasta such as rotini or gemelli
• 1/2 cup prepared pesto (you can find my pesto recipe at the bottom of this page)
• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella cheese

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high. 

Brush both sides of eggplant rounds with olive oil.  Season with salt & pepper.

Grill both sides of eggplant for about 3 minutes, until grill marks appear.  Slice into 1/2" by 2" slices.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water to box directions.

Combine pasta and eggplant, stir in pesto.  Just before serving, gently stir in mozzarella cheese.  It will melt into gooey goodness!

Enjoy!