Use It Up Pasta

This is one of those "use what's in the fridge" dishes. Eggplant, cabbage and fennel get roasted down until caramelised and sweet, then tossed through pasta with a simple tomato sauce. Swap the veg for whatever's in season, courgette, capsicum, kumara all work just as well.

You'll need:

• 1 eggplant, finely diced
• 300g cabbage, chopped small
• 1 fennel bulb, chopped small
• Olive oil, salt and pepper
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• A glug of olive oil and a knob of butter
• ½ can cherry tomatoes (or a punnet of fresh cherry tomatoes, roasted alongside the veg)
• 300g Monty & Sons pasta (we like this with Short Rigatoni or Fusilli, something that holds the sauce well)
• Parmesan or feta, to finish

Method:

1. Toss the eggplant, cabbage and fennel in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 180°C until caramelised. If using fresh cherry tomatoes instead of canned, roast a punnet in a small dish at the same time.
2. While the veg roasts, cook the onion in the olive oil and butter over medium heat until lightly caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the cherry tomatoes.
3. Cook the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water before draining.
4. Combine the roasted veg, tomato sauce and pasta in a big bowl. Loosen with a splash of pasta water if it needs more sauce. Finish with parsley and parmesan or feta.