Tempeh and Eggplant Ratatouille Pasta

Preparation and Cooking Time: Approximately 30 Minutes

Serves: 8

The Veggie Kitchen version of the traditional staple known as Ratatouille. Tempeh adds a “meaty” heartiness, and pasta makes this a delicious and complete meal. Try this recipe and it may become one your favorite meals!

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
1 8oz pack Tempeh
½ small onion (red or yellow)
2 green onions
3 cloves garlic
1 bell pepper (any color)
1 green zucchini
1 yellow crookneck or gold bar type squash
1 small tomato
8 oz organic pasta; Rotini, Fusilli, or Penne

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
¼ cup olive oil

½ cup fresh basil
½ cup fresh Italian parsley
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation:

Wash and dry the vegetables.
Remove and discard basil and parsley stems.
Boil pasta in water until cooked al dente (approx 9 minutes – firm, not mushy).
Drain, but do not rinse pasta, then set pasta aside.

While pasta is cooking:

Dice eggplant and vegetables.
Peel and crush garlic.
Slice Tempeh into small pieces.

Combine and cook ingredients:

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan.
Add garlic, onion, crushed red pepper, and thyme. Sauté for 30 seconds.
Add eggplant and Tempeh.
Sauté for 2-3 minutes until eggplant and Tempeh begin to brown.
Add diced bell pepper, zucchini, and squash.
Sprinkle in salt and pepper.
Sauté for 2-3 more minutes.
Add diced tomato, crushed tomato, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, water, fresh basil, and parsley leaves.
Stir, cover pan, and let simmer for 5 minutes or until eggplant is cooked (tender and cuts easily with a spatula).
Add cooked pasta and mix until pasta is well covered with ratatouille.
Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1-2 minutes allowing pasta to heat and absorb flavors.

Serve and enjoy! A flavorful vegan meal!

You may sprinkle on a little grated parmesan cheese for additional flavor (however, with the parmesan, you no longer have a strictly vegan meal).

Tempeh and Eggplant Ratatouille Pasta

Eventually, one comes to the realization that a truly healthy diet means removing meat from the menu. When considering a vegetarian diet for the first time, many people often visualize a vast empty space on their dinner plate--with nothing but hard, cold porcelain between the baked potato and green beans. Or else they imagine their jaws will become weary from chewing unappealingly tasteless cardboard-textured concoctions. Both of these ideas are completely wrong! In fact, once you have awakened your palate to the rich multitude of flavors of a vegetable-based diet, you will wonder what you were missing all this time.

Often, finding the right recipe is all it takes to make a vegetarian diet exciting for you and your entire family. We know that you will find our Tempeh and Eggplant Ratatouille Pasta recipe to be a great way to introduce your family to the joys of vegetarianism.

Though Westerners are only just becoming familiar with tempeh, this soy-based food has been used in Indonesia for at least several hundred years. Indeed, it is the only traditional soy food that did not originate in either China or Japan. High in protein, low in fat, tempeh has a mild and nutty flavor that lends a meaty texture to any meal. It is a fermented product, and is more easily digestible and contains more protein than tofu.

Eggplant originated in India, and was introduced to the United States by none other than Thomas Jefferson, who in addition to being one of this country's founders, was an experimental botanist. Eggplant is an excellent source of dietary fiber, and a good source of Vitamins B1 and B6. It also contains significant amounts of potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus. More importantly from a health perspective, eggplant is rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants, and has been found to reduce cholesterol levels.

Even the herbs and side vegetables in this recipe offer up significant health benefits! For example, parsley is rich in iron; basil is high in Vitamin A and flavonoids which help to protect cells from damage. Squash contains lots of antioxidants and potassium. And bell peppers are high in vitamin C. You can clearly see why this recipe is good for you and your body.

The Tempeh and Eggplant Ratatouille Pasta takes about 30 minutes to prepare, and makes a hearty vegan meal, with enough taste and texture to feed an entire family, as well as several guests.