Eggplant Artichoke Pesto Whole-Grain Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is everything a pasta salad should be: satisfying, easy to make, and full of flavors and textures.  It’s even nutritious enough to keep you on track with your healthy eating or weight loss plan. 

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With vegetables, whole grains, protein, and healthy fats, it can be a balanced meal in itself. It has cooked and raw vegetables including grilled eggplant, brined artichoke hearts, and fresh cherry or grape tomatoes. Instead of a heavy or creamy dressing, the vegetables and whole-grain pasta are held together with components of a deconstructed pesto sauce, including basil leaves, parmesan cheese, olive oil, pine nuts or walnuts, and lemon juice. 

Variations

• Gluten-free options for pasta include brown rice pasta and garbanzo bean or black bean pasta.
• For a low-carb version, use cooked cauliflower or shirataki or spiralized zucchini noodles instead of pasta. 
• You can use 1-2 cups of cooked, trimmed green beans, cubed roasted zucchini, or roasted bell pepper strips instead of eggplant, or skip it altogether.
• For a creamier salad, add store-bought basil pesto or homemade pesto sauce.
• For a milder flavor, swap half the basil leaves for baby spinach leaves or arugula. 
• For a high-protein salad, add 8-12 ounces of cooked skinless shredded or diced chicken breast. 

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of whole-grain rotini or other whole-grain pasta
• 1 large eggplant
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• 1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups of fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 clove of garlic, finely diced
• ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup of pine nuts or chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup of lemon juice

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
3. While the pasta is cooking, cube the eggplant and toss it in the olive oil. Spread the cubes evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until softened and golden brown. Remove from the oven. 
4. Assemble the salad in a large serving bowl. Toss the pasta, eggplant, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, basil leaves, garlic, and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese and the pine nuts or walnuts. Serve immediately or refrigerate. 

Nutrition information per serving: 270 calories; 13 grams of fat; 2.5 grams of saturated fat; 10 mg of cholesterol; 160 mg of sodium; 32 grams of carbohydrates; 3 grams of sugar; 5 grams of fiber; 9 grams of protein

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