Pasta Salad with Grilled Eggplant and Sun Dried Tomatoes

A fresh and healthy pasta salad with grilled eggplants, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella

 An irresistible combination of Mediterranean flavors!

 A hot weekend is coming up here in Los Angeles. I can't wait to jump in the warm ocean water and relax on the sand. And if, like me, you are planning to spend your Sunday at the beach or somewhere else fun, here is a great picnic lunch idea.

This pasta salad is very simple to make. It's vegetarian, healthy, fresh and very tasty. You can prepare it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. And then you just bring it along to the beach or park in your cooler.
I generally prefer eating this salad at room temperature (not cold from the refrigerator and not hot from the stove). I chose farfalle pasta this time, but you can really use any shape of short pasta. I would really not recommend spaghetti for a pasta salad.
Here is the recipe for you. And have an amazing weekend :)

Ingredients, serving 4 people:                  PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 1 medium eggplant
• a couple of whole sun-dried tomatoes (I used about 5 halves - Colavita, tomatoes in olive oil)
• 1 garlic clove
• 8 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• oregano
• salt
• 12 oz pasta

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta.
2. Cut the eggplant in thin slices. Grill the eggplants, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.

3. Cut the grilled eggplants in small strips. In a large bowl, add the eggplants, the garlic cut in slices, the sun-dried tomatoes cut in pieces and sliced garlic

4. Drain the pasta, run it under cold water to stop it from overcooking. Add to the bowl and mix well. Add the mozzarella cut in small cubes and mix again. Add more olive oil and oregano if necessary. Easy as that :)

Buon Appetito!

Pasta Salad with Grilled Eggplants, Sundried Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Pasta salad with grilled eggplants, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella: an irresistible combination of Mediterranean flavors!

I hope your Sunday was amazing, and you had the chance to enjoy some special time with all the Dads in your life.

My Sunday was pretty great. Quite fun and relaxing. At the beach yesterday morning, I finished a book I started only last week, "The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty. It's a really great book, perfect read for the beach. I have not been able to put the book down until I found out (about halfway through) what the secret was. And then, I could not wait to see how everything solved itself out. I am not going to give out too many details in case you want to read it. But, was I the only one rooting for Connor, the sexy ex-boyfriend with the motorcycle?! Well, I guess that was not in Tess's plan. As the author says "None of us ever know all the possible courses our lives could have and maybe should have taken. It's probably just as well. Some secrets are meant to stay secret forever." Hmm... what do you think?!?

Going back to my Sunday, for a picnic lunch at the beach, I prepared this delicious pasta salad with eggplants, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella. This Italian recipe is perfect for the summer: fresh and healthy. An enticing combination of delicious Mediterranean flavors!
Here is the recipe for you ...  and no secret ingredient! :)



Ingredients, serving 4 people:

• about 1.5 oz of sun-dried tomatoes (I used Trader Joe's julienne cut tomatoes, about half a bag)
• 1 medium eggplant
• 8 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• extra virgin olive oil
• oregano
• salt
• 12 oz pasta

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Directions:

Step 1: Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl with hot water, for 15 minutes of so.

Step 2: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta.
Step 3: Brush a grilling pan slightly with olive oil, and grill the eggplants thinly sliced. Sprinkle with salt.

Step 4: Cut the grilled eggplants in small strips. In a large bowl, add the eggplants with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, sliced garlic and oregano.

Step 5: Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, cut in small pieces and add to the bowl.

Step 6: Drain the pasta, pass it under cold running water to stop it from overcooking. Add to the bowl and mix well. Add the mozzarella cut in small cubes and mix again. Add more olive oil and oregano if necessary. That's it :)

Buon Appetito!