Vegan Pasta Puttanesca with a Twist

This is my take on pasta puttanesca, the eggplant makes it hearty, the olives and capers add lots of tangy, salty flavor, and the cherry tomatoes create a delicious fresh tomato sauce. It's delicious and super easy to make, perfect for beginners! 

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 eggplant, diced

2 pints cherry tomatoes, cut in half

4-5 cloves garlic (depending on their size), minced 

1/2 cup chopped green olives 

1 Tbl capers 

12 ounces fettuccine (or spaghetti if you prefer a thinner noodle)

 kosher salt, to taste (I added 1/2 tsp)

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add eggplant and cherry tomatoes, stirring to combine. Once the eggplant soaks up all the oil, you can add another healthy drizzle. Add garlic, olives, and capers and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have burst and created a thick sauce, 15-20 minutes. Add salt to taste. Meanwhile, cook noodles in a pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Add noodles to the eggplant mixture and stir to coat evenly. Serve hot. 

Enjoy! xo Kirsten