Roasted Squash and Eggplant Pasta

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This healthy and chunky squash and eggplant vegan pasta ready in just 35 minutes and contains hearty veggies that are roasted to enhance their flavours.

Perfect for healthy quick mid week dinners, this Italian style vegan pasta can be eaten hot and cold, super cheap and versatile as you can use any veggies you have sitting in your fridge.

Picture this: You go to your favorite food market or supermarket and buys an amazing range of raw veggies to eat healthier then you get home put them in the fridge, make a couple of great vegan or vegetarian recipes.

But the problem is: some veggies stays there because you really don’t know what to do with them, rot and get thrown away with tears in your eyes.

Yes, that was me before I discovered this recipe. 

When you learn the basis of making this dish, you will be able to adapt and combine whatever you have at home. This is an amazing recipe to fight food waste.

List of vegetables to roast: 

These are my suggestions of veggies I think would be amazing in this recipe, but you can use pretty much anything you have in your fridge!

• Carrots
• Potatoes any kind
• Brussels Sprouts
• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Bell pepper
• Zucchini
• Asparagus

Use the same quantity in the recipe, but the roasting time may be different. I suggest checking every 5 minutes after 15 min of roasting. 

Let’s make this recipe!

Cooking Time

• Cooking: 35 minutes
• Preparation: 10 minutes
• Total time: 45 minutes

Servings

• 4 servings

Equipment

• Roaster

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Ingredients list

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 3 cups squash, 1-inch cubed I used kabocha but butternut also works
• 1 red onion, quartered
• 1 large eggplant, 1-inch cubed
• ½ tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon Italian mix dried spices
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 1/2 cups wholemeal pasta, I used farfalle but any pasta works like penne or fusilli 
• 2 cups watercress
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

How to make roasted squash and eggplant pasta

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF / 200º C
2. Place cubed veggies in a large roaster tin or dish, drizzle olive oil, sprinkle Italian mix dried spices, salt and pepper. Use your hands to evenly coat veggies in the seasoning and olive oil. Arrange veggies in the roaster avoiding overlap with each other.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and caramelized.
4. Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl with watercress to wilt in the pasta heat.
5. Once veggies are cooked through, add them to the bowl. Drizzle more olive oil and toss carefully. Finish with chopped walnuts and serve.

Notes

Roasting vegetables: Vegetables won’t roast nicely if you add too much pieces touch each other. The heat must circulate through the veggies to achieve a crispy and golden brown veggies.

Salt and fat: Salt and fat are the most important ingredients to roast vegetables, they will give all the flavour to the veggies, so be generous but mindful. To my taste this amount of salt is enough for these quantities, but if you are duplicating the recipe, adjust accordingly.

Sauce: Roasted squash and eggplant pasta has no sauce on it, but a drizzle of olive oil is enough to at extra grease and flavor.

Vegetarian alternative: If you wan’t to try this version, simply add ½ tablespoon of butter along with the hot pasta to the bowl and toss.

Storage

Stays well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Can be eaten cold

Not suitable for home freezing.

Variations

The roasted squash and eggplant pasta is a vegan dish, but if you don’t mind extra fats, by no means, add a spoon of butter to make it different!

FAQs

Is it better to boil vegetables before roasting?

Pre-cooking veggies by boiling is called blanching. It’s a faster way to cook them instead of roasting for the whole time, which could take double the time.

Make sure to cook for just a few minutes, depending on the size you cut your vegetables, then drain well before roasting.

Are roasted vegetables healthy?

Roasting vegetables is the second healthiest alternative to cook them because you won’t need too much oil in the process. Cooking vegetables at high temperatures may result in nutrient loss, but keeping it at medium temperatures will preserve the nutrition values and keep the flavors.

What do you eat with roasted vegetables?

Roasted vegetables are such a versatile food. They are perfect on their own but can be serve as a side dish on a family meal. They go well with:

1. Stuffed chicken breasts
2. Baked fish like salmon or cod
3. Beef braciole
4. Pasta al pomodoro
5. Chicken risotto

How do you roast vegetables that are not soggy?

The correct technique to roast vegetables and avoid them to get soggy is to use high temperature on your oven. If the over temperature is too low, the veggies will release their waters and will boil, resulting in soggy and mushy texture.

To avoid that, cook the vegetables in a preheated oven at 400ºF / 200º C without touching each other in the roaster seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil, butter or other oil. Everything will be golden brown and delicious!

Is it bad to roast vegetables with olive oil?

It is not bad to roast vegetables with olive oil, in fact, olive oil is my personal favorite fat to roast vegetables. It doesn’t burn over high temperatures like butter, will transfer its gentle flavor complexity to the food, no only cooking but seasoning at the same time and it’s only of the finest yet affordable cooking oils available.

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5 from 9 votes

Kabocha and Eggplant Vegan Pasta

This healthy and chunky squash and eggplant vegan pasta ready in just 45 minutes and contains hearty veggies that are roasted to enhance their flavours.

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Active Time10 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Brazilian, Italian

Keyword: aubergine, eggplant, farfalle, healthy, italian spices, kabocha, olive oil, oregano, pasta, pumpkin, roast, squash, vegan, vegetables, walnuts, watercress, wholemeal pasta

Yield: 4 people

Calories: 350kcal

Author: lucasgian

Cost: 8

Equipment

• roaster

Materials

• 3 cups squash 1-inch cubed, I used kabocha but butternut squash also works
• 1 tablespoon Italian mix dried herbs or fresh Italian herbs
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus extra to serve
• 1 medium red onion quartered
• 1 large eggplant 1-inch cubed
• 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 1/2 cups wholemeal pasta I used farfalle but any short type pasta works
• 2 cups watercress
• 1/2 cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF / 200º C.
• Place cubed veggies in a large roaster tin or dish, drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle Italian mix dried spices, salt and pepper. Use your hands to evenly coat veggies in the seasoning and olive oil. Arrange veggies in the roaster avoiding overlap with each other.
• Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized.
• Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl with watercress to wilt in the pasta heat.
• Once veggies are cooked through, add them to the bowl. Drizzle more olive oil and toss carefully. Finish with chopped walnuts and serve.

Notes

Roasting vegetables: Vegetables won’t roast nicely if you add too much pieces touch each other. The heat must circulate through the veggies to achieve a crispy and golden brown veggies.

Salt and fat: Salt and fat are the most important ingredients to roast vegetables, they will give all the flavour to the veggies, so be generous but mindful. To my taste this amount of salt is enough for these quantities, but if you are duplicating the recipe, adjust accordingly.

Sauce: This pasta has no sauce on it, but a drizzle of olive oil is enough to at extra grease and flavor.

Vegetarian alternative: If you wan’t to try this version, simply add ½ tablespoon of butter along with the hot pasta to the bowl and toss.

Storage: Stays well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Can be eaten cold. Not suitable for home freezing.