End of Summer Pasta

I found this recipe in my Parents magazine this month, and was so happy that it used lots of the veggies we've been given from friends' gardens this summer. I was very excited about this, expecting it to be delicious, but it wasn't. It probably isn't the fault of the recipe; the eggplant tasted very weird and mushy, so it was either overcooked or it was bad. We tossed it and had leftovers. I have lots of red onion around, so I added some of that in with the garlic, but otherwise followed the recipe as written.

But anyway, maybe it would be very good for someone else to make!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cupextra-virgin olive oil
• 2 mediumeggplants, cut into 1/2 to 1-inch chunks
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb.farfalle or other dried pasta
• 6 small or 3 mediumtomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 to 1-inch chunks
• 1 to 2 tsp.thinly sliced garlic
• 1/2 cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Chopped fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the eggplant, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and stir occasionally until it's browned and tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Add pasta to boiling water and prepare as directed. While its cooking, add the tomatoes and garlic to the eggplant mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is nicely softened, about 10 more minutes.

3. When the pasta is done, drain and toss with the eggplant sauce and Parmesan. Adjust the seasoning and garnish with basil if you like.