Smoky Roasted Eggplant Marinara with Spaghetti Squash or Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Ingredients

1 medium firm eggplant, halved lengthwise
Salt
Pepper
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 head garlic
2 red bell pepper
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes, whole
2 large spaghetti squash or 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti

Yields:

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Split squash lengthwise and roast cut-side down on baking sheet 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the squash flesh is very tender. Drizzle eggplant halves with EVOO, salt and pepper and roast face down on a baking sheet. Cut heads of garlic to expose cloves at ends, then drizzle liberally with EVOO, salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and place alongside eggplant. Roast 40-45 minutes.

Char peppers over open gas burner flame. Transfer to a bowl and cover, until cool enough to handle. Peel and seed the peppers, then roughly chop.

Scoop eggplants and add to a food processor with garlic and peppers.

For pasta, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Cook spaghetti 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of starchy cooking water.

Heat fire-roasted tomatoes in a sauce pan on medium-high heat and crush up with a potato masher. Stir vegetable puree in with tomatoes and starchy cooking water and heat through.

For squash, split squash lengthwise and roast cut-side down on baking sheet 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the squash flesh is very tender. Flip squash over and shred the squash into spaghetti like strands with tines of a fork, leaving squash in shells. Dress the squash evenly with marinara

Heat fire roasted tomatoes in a sauce pan on medium-high heat and crush up with a potato masher. Stir vegetable puree in with tomatoes and heat through.