Balsamic Eggplant Pasta Salad

By karenstl

Ingredients

• 1 lb farfalle or fusilli pasta (bow tie or spirals)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium yellow squash, sliced and quartered
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced and then chopped
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, small balls or cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 cups mixed greens
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Details

Servings 20
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 50mins
Adapted from futureexpat.com

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Drain, then rinse with cold water; transfer to a large bowl.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the eggplant. Don’t crowd the pan. If your skillet isn’t large enough, split this step into 2 batches. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden about 7-9 minutes.

Once the eggplant is finished, transfer it to a bowl and let it come to room temperature. If you want to speed up this process, refrigerate it for a few minutes.

In an extra large bowl (use a soup pot if you don’t have a big enough bowl), combine the pasta, onion, squash, tomatoes and mozzarella. Mix well with your hands or a large spoon. Next add the eggplant and mix. Then add the spring greens and parsley and gently mix. Last, add the balsamic vinegar mix.