Angel Hair Pasta with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce

adapted from WW Best Eats Cookbook

Serves 6 - if you make the recipe without my adapations, it's 204 cal, 3 g fat, 598 mg sodium and 4 g fiber

• 1 small eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 red pepper(s), cut into 8 strips
• 3/4 tsp table salt
• 1 garlic clove(s), minced
• 2 large tomato(es), coarsely chopped (I couldn't pick out a good tomato if my life depended on it, so I just used a giant can of chopped organic tomatoes. I actually read somewhere that canned tomatoes are more nutritious, which works well with my laziness!)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I love spice so I doubled this)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper (I love pepper so I doubled this)
• 2 tbsp basil, fresh, minced (I used dried - fresh herbs are expensive and don't last long!)
• 2 tbsp chives, fresh, minced (I used fresh because they were a manager's special at Kroger)
• 1/2 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
• 8 oz uncooked angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained (I used whole-wheat pasta)
• 4 oz reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
• Personal extras - I also added a couple of tablespoons of Harry and David's Pepper and Onion Relish to give it more kick and a couple of tablespoons of ketchup to thicken it up. (I think I read somewhere that ketchup could sub for tomato paste.)

Preheat grill to medium or you can roast the vegetables if you prefer. (To roast, preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place vegetables on prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray; season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Roast, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.)

Place eggplant slices and pepper strips in a grill basket (or place vegetables on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil with holes poked in it to allow smoke through). Off heat, coat vegetables with cooking spray; season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Place on grill and cook until lightly browned and tender, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces; set aside.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over low-medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until slightly pulpy, about 1 minute more. Stir in vegetables, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, basil, chives and broth; increase heat to medium-high. Cook until broth is slightly reduced and mixture has a sauce consistency, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add pasta and toss to coat. Stir in cheese just before serving. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Review: This was surprisingly good! I was really nervous because I waited too long to make this and my eggplant got a little decrepit. Luckily the roasting took care of the decrepitness! The sauce tasted very healthy and fresh. It had just enough kick to keep my taste buds happy. I really enjoyed the feta in this - it melted a bit and was really creamy.

Next time I make this, I'll cut smaller eggplant pieces and leave the skin on. I'll also cut the pepper into smaller pieces. I'm not really a fan of giant vegetables in my sauces so I ended up cutting the vegetables with my fork before I ate them.

Oh - and it goes without saying since I don't own a grill (second floor apartment) that I roasted the veggies.