Easy Summer Pasta

By roasting tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini together, you end up with a atatouillelike mixture. Just whack it all in the oven for an hour and come back when you are ready to cook the penne. Throw on some torn mozzarella near the end so that it melts over the vegetables and combine with the pasta and some crème fraîche or ricotta.

1 1/4 cups / 10oz / 300g halved cherry tomatoes

2 medium zucchini
1 aubergine, cut into -inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs 
 (I like herbes de Provence)
2 3/4 oz / 75g fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into medium strips
1 1/2 cups / 5 1/2 oz / 150g dry whole-wheat penne pasta or 3 cups / 11oz / 300g cooked

3 tablespoons crème fraîche or ricotta cheese
salt

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Reserve about   cup of the cherry tomatoes for later. Add the rest to a roasting pan. Cut the zucchini in half along their lengths, then cut the lengths into half-moons about inch thick and add them to the roasting pan with the zucchini, oil, herbs, and a pinch of salt. Toss together and roast in the oven for 1 hour, tossing halfway through cooking. After 45 minutes, scatter the torn mozzarella over the top of the vegetables and return to the oven for the final 15 minutes of cooking time so that the cheese melts.
3 Meanwhile, if starting with dry pasta, put in a medium saucepan and cover with just-boiled water from the kettle. Bring to a boil and cook until al dente (this will generally be the shorter cooking time specified on the package directions). Drain, reserving a small mugful of the pasta water, and return the pasta to the saucepan.
4 Once the vegetables and mozzarella have finished roasting, add them 
to the drained pasta along with the crème fraîche and a splash of the 
reserved pasta water (or just some water from the faucet if you’re using precooked pasta). Season with salt to taste and divide between 
2 plates. Scatter the reserved cherry tomatoes over the pasta and serve.

Vegan Omit the mozzarella and replace the crème fraîche with 
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Gluten Free Use gluten-free pasta (e.g. brown rice pasta).