Eggplant and Pesto Pasta!

Quick, easy, vegetarian dinner!

Ingredients:
1 Medium size eggplant, chopped into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Pesto ( i used some I had made last summer, but you can used store bought just the same)
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 pound Penne Pasta (or any other small pasta like rigatoni, orechhiete, etc)

First, dice the eggplant.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add eggplant, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low.

It will look like the eggplant is drinking up the oil, you can add a tad more, but eventually the salt

will draw the moisture out of the eggplant. Saute for about 8 minutes until golden and wilted. Meanwhile,

bring your water for the pasta to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to directions.

Grate your parmesan cheese while the pasta/eggplant are doing their thing.

Add the pesto to the eggplant over low heat. All you're doing is heating it up. Next, drain pasta but reserve

1 cup of the cooking liquid in case you need it later. Add 3/4 cup of the parmesan to the drained pasta. Mix well.

Add the eggplant/pesto mixture to the pasta. Toss together and add some of the reserved cooking liquid

if it looks too dry. Just add a little at a time.

Add remaining parmesan cheese on top and voila! Dinner is served! Took maybe 20 minutes at the most!