Summer Vegetable Pasta

I was excited when I found out that a new farmer's market opened not to far from our house.  I love going to farmer's markets and getting fresh, locally grown produce.  I feel good about supporting my local economy and everything I get seems to taste 100 times better than grocery store produce.  Unfortunately, with my busy summer schedule, I don't get out to the farmer's markets as much as I would like (I really wish more of them would be open on weekday evenings in addition to weekends), so it feels like a really special occasion when I do get a chance to go.

On a recent trip to the farmer's market, we came home with some wonderful zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant. I decided to put them all together in a pasta dish.  I didn't want to use a sauce that would overpower the fresh flavor of the veggies so I decided to make a light olive oil and garlic sauce.  It is similar to ratatouille, except that I did not add tomatoes and this dish was much quicker to prepare.  This dinner was so good-I can't wait to make it again using my various finds at the next farmer's market I go to.  Go ahead and add whatever vegetable you have on hand-I think next time I would like to add in some fresh cherry or grape tomatoes at the very end.

Summer Vegetable Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 eggplant, cut into rounds then into quarters

1 zucchini, cut into rounds then into quarters

1 yellow squash, cut into rounds then into quarters

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/2 bell pepper, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

dried oregano, to taste

1 tablespoon tomato paste

fresh basil

fresh mozzarella, sliced

3/4 pound pasta

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside, along with 1/4 cup of pasta water.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan.  Add mushrooms and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes.   Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil, then the onions and peppers and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.  Add zucchini, squash, and eggplant and stir to combine.  Add tomato paste and season to taste with oregano, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook about 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender but not too soft. 

Add cooked pasta to the saute pan (alternatively, you can add the vegetable mixture to the pasta in pasta pot if you don't have anymore room in the saute pan), toss to combine and allow to cook over low heat for about 2 minutes.  Add mozzarella and basil and toss lightly to combine.  Serve immediately. 

Source: A Simple Gourmet Original