Eggplant, Zucchini, Kale, and Tomatoes with Whole Wheat Penne Recipe
01. Jul, 2009 
26 Comments
This recipe is about some beautiful eggplant I purchased at the Kitsilano Farmers Market. All I had to do was saute it for the right amount of time with some fresh zucchini and kale, toss with some sweet tomatoes to balance out it’s bitterness and I was rewarded with the perfect healthy comfort food. And yes, of course, I added a few tablespoons of goat cheese to bring it all together.
Goat Cheese is the new butter. You heard it here first.
For more easy pasta recipes, you can check out my post on 5 Easy Pasta Recipes.
Whole Wheat Penne with Eggplant, Zucchini, Kale, and Tomatoes
(serves 2)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
2 medium eggplants, medium diced (about 1/2-3/4″ cubes)
1 clove garlic, de-germed and crushed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or 3 small dried thai chiles, crushed
1 medium zucchini, medium diced
1 cup kale leaves roughly chopped (you just want the leaves, remove stems first)
1 cup canned whole tomatoes
3 tablespoons goat cheese
salt and pepper
2 portions whole wheat penne pasta
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, in the meantime prep all your veggies and heat a large skillet to medium heat. When the water starts to boil add pasta and set your timer. Meanwhile add oil and onions to skillet and saute for 2 minutes, or until onions start to soften. Add eggplant, garlic, chiles and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often until browned about 6-8 minutes. Continue adding veggies and sauteing, add zucchini and cook for another 2 minutes, then add kale for 1 minute, and finally tomatoes. Give it all a good stir and let simmer for a minute or two, or until pasta is ready. Save a little pasta water just in case. Add pasta to skillet, crumble goat cheese on top and toss well. Add salt and pepper and correct to taste. Serve hot.
More Recipes That May Interest:
Pumpkin, Walnut and Zucchini Macaroni
Linguine with Green Cabbage and Pancetta
Almond, Spinach and Cilantro Pesto
Originally started as a way to document and learn to cook, the site chronicles my journey as I learn a few new things, create recipes, and have a disaster or two.
Summer garden pasta…. I love it!
(My entry is being typed now)
Fantastic photo–
Wonderful! I can't wait to join pasta presto nights again, is the deadline friday?
Zoe – They are every week, so if you miss one you can always join the next weeks. Check out the rules here:
http://www.prestopastanights.com/
I will probbaly most Friday morning, so say… 8am PST this Friday?
How healthy and awesome is that! And perfect for South Beach Dieting…at least after next week. It's bookmarked!
Looking forward to the Presto Pasta Night Roundup.
Simple recipes like this with the freshest ripe ingredients are my favorite.
I am still not sold on store bought whole grain pasta.
Ruth – I think it is terribly funny that the originator of Presto Pasta night subscribes to the South Beach diet at times!
climbhighak – I actually agree with you, I have found some really yummy imported stuff at whole foods which isn't cheap and besides that I am stilling looking. This penne wasn't the greatest but I was craving penne. I actually find the store-bought noodle that holds up the best is macaroni.
That's just beautiful- brimming with some of my favorite vegetables, and a nice new way of using kale.
(husband loves it, I hate it) but it would taste just as good without any cheese, I think.
I'm one of those who can't stand the taste of goat cheese
This looks delicious and very healthy. I love it
That is a tasty way to enjoy Summer's bounty. I like the use of the goat cheese.
Um, YUMMM!!!!!!!!!
That looks fantastic. I see a running theme of goat cheese loving here. I want to like it, I really do, but I just don't. I would definitely try this with another cheese though, maybe some ricotta.
sara – feta maybe? Sorry I do use a lot of goat cheese, can't help myself.
My mouth started watering when I saw that first photo. I would love this dish. What a great combination of flavours. Yum!
How many calories would you say is in this?
Kristi – it would depend on the size of your portion of pasta. If it is a cup of pasta per person, then probably less then 300. I did the estimates here http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Thanks, Katerina! That is so helpful – I haven't tried the recipe calculator before…I will have to use that more often!
No problem, always glad to be able to help!
The Kale takes a while to wilt, so should I put in the kale earlier or maybe stem it when I insert it in?
Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it
Mugwump101 – yes definitely stem the kale! Sorry if that wasn’t clear I will update the entry. The kale will cook for a few minutes, but if you are worried throw it in earlier. The nice thing about kale is that it is tolerant to longer more precise cooking then other greens like spinach.
Just found this site, and tried this out tonight. It’s even more delicious than it looks!
Mikey – I am thrilled you enjoyed it, come back often
I love Goat Cheese and I love all the vegetables you included in the recipe. Can’t wait to try it out tonight! Thanks!
I found this via google and it worked perfectly for the veggies coming out of our garden. I was a bit skeptical b/c it looked so healthy, but it was delicious! I had to sub feta for the goat cheese (not available at my local market), but it still turned out great. Thanks so much!
Amber – Feta would be a wonderful addition, aren’t you lucky to have so many veggies in your garden. I currently just have leafy greens. Very glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Heya!
Love this recipe! Just so you know I am totally going to tweet this today. Also… one of my personal favs on ur blog. XO
P.S Keep me posted on what’s been going on with you! It’s been a while