Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Orzo Pasta
Roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes and orzo combine in this light pasta dish. It's a great weeknight dinner recipe for summer and early fall!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
First of all, THANK YOU for your kind words and excitement surrounding my cookbook announcement! I am so glad we can talk about Love Real Food now. My mind has been so preoccupied with the book lately that I haven’t been able to come up with much to talk about, other than the weather. I’m tired of talking about the weather. (Are you tired of hearing me ramble on about the weather? Yes? I don’t blame you.)
Now we can talk cookbook, too. Your enthusiasm got me all fired up last week and kept me fueled through shooting six recipes on Friday. Thank you! I keep forgetting that I can share the process now, but I promise to start sharing sneak peaks of #loverealfoodbook this week.
I designed the cookbook’s recipe list to be more season-less than seasonal, because I want most of the recipes to appeal to you and be available to you year-round. That means I’ve been reserving the super seasonal recipes for the blog, which is fun because I can publish them when they’re prime for the making.
Like, this pasta dish. It’s perfect for this time of year. It’s not too hot outside to crank up the oven and roast eggplant, which is at its peak right now. I’ve had an odd hankering for roasted eggplant ever since I made Anna’s Mediterranean quinoa salad. Most people describe eggplant as bitter, but I’d say it’s borderline sour. Tangy. Pillowy. Hearty. So good, if paired with the right flavors.
I took some cues from Anna’s salad and combined roasted eggplant with feta, pine nuts and fresh herbs. I first tried it without tomatoes, wondering if eggplant could stand on its own, but sweet roasted tomatoes made it more of an irresistible—and I daresay, dazzling—veggie-packed pasta dish. I should have known. Eggplant and tomatoes are garden mates and nightshade cousins, and they belong together in this recipe.
DeLallo’s light and tender whole wheat orzo pasta forms the base of the dish. Just look at those cute little oblong pasta pieces! DeLallo makes the best whole wheat pasta and I love that they offer it in so many fun shapes, from orzo to rigatoni to orecchiette. You can find their products at Whole Foods and well-stocked grocery stores, as well as online. I’m flying out to Pittsburgh to hang out with the DeLallo team and a few of my favorite bloggers this week. I can’t wait! More on that later, but please make this dish before the tomatoes are gone!
More Recipes to Enjoy
Here are a few of my favorites:
- Caponata
- Double Tomato Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini Noodles
- Easy Tomato Salad
- Ratatouille
- Vegetable Paella
Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Orzo Pasta
Roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes and orzo combine in this light pasta dish. It’s a great weeknight dinner recipe for summer and early fall! If you can’t find whole wheat orzo, try rotini or fusilli or another small pasta shape. Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.
Ingredients
Roasted eggplant
- 1 medium purple eggplant (about 1 pound), sliced into ¾-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Everything else
- ½ pound DeLallo Organic Whole Wheat Orzo
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Lemon-garlic dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with one rack in the middle of the oven and the other rack in the upper third of the oven. Line 1 large, rimmed baking sheet and 1 small, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- On the large baking sheet, toss the cubed eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer. Roast on the middle rack until the eggplant is tender and deeply golden on the edges, about 25 minutes, tossing halfway.
- Meanwhile, on the smaller baking sheet, toss the halved tomatoes with 1 teaspoon olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Wait to place the pan of tomatoes on the top rack until you return the eggplant to the oven after tossing. Roast until the tomatoes are tender and a little wrinkled, about 12 minutes. (So in an ideal situation, the eggplant and tomatoes will be done roasting at the same time.)
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the orzo, give it a stir and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Reserve about 1 cup cooking water, then drain the orzo and transfer it to a large serving bowl.
- To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle it over the warm orzo and toss to coat. Add the roasted eggplant, tomatoes, feta, basil, parsley and pine nuts. Toss to combine. If the pasta seems dry, add a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water and/or a little more olive oil. Season to taste with additional salt (mine needed ¼ teaspoon more) and pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the feta. You might want to add some thinly sliced, pitted Kalamata olives to make up for feta’s salty punch.
Make it gluten free: Substitute a small gluten-free pasta for the orzo and cook according to package directions.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with DeLallo Foods and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
I just made this recipe last night for dinner with a friend who was visiting. It was fantastic! Light, summery, but filling and delicious. It didn’t take very long, as most of the time was prepping/roasting the vegetables. One thing I will add to it next time is kalamata olives, but other than that I wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you for sharing this!
You’re welcome! I think that would be a nice add-in. Thanks for the review, Emily!
Heavenly!! A perfect summer meal, for company or otherwise. Many thanks!
With fresh eggplant, basil, parsley, and garlic from our backyard garden, this recipe was DIVINE! I roasted all the veggies on cast iron plates on our grill (kept at 400) and boiled the water for the orzo on the outdoor burner. The house stayed cool and we couldn’t get enough of this easy, yummy dinner.
Thank you Kate! This was so good. So so good! Followed your recipe to a “T” although I didn’t have feta, so substituted goat cheese. It was divine. We ate on a bed of fresh kale. Balanced, bright and satisfying on a hot, humid day. This will be another go-to of your consistently wonderful recipes!!
Oh over kale, delicious! Thanks for Carey. I appreciate the review.
The Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Orzo Pasta is delicious!
We all loved it and the leftovers are great for lunch.
Thanks Kate for another great, easy recipe!!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your review, Marisa.
I don’t usually comment on recipes, but this was so delicious and easy that i’m giving it 5 stars. We’ll definitely be adding it to our rotation!
I’m so happy you did, Lauren!
Just made this, and it was absolutely delicious! The flavors are perfect for late summer. I also threw in some chickpeas for added protein and it went along great.
Thanks for sharing, Patricia!
Now I know how I’m going to use some of my roasted tomato glut. I’m mainly here to say how much I like that sweet photo of Cookie, though!
Great! And thank you. She is a cutie!
Just perfect! I love the bright lemon complementing the rich roasted flavors. I happened to have an eggplant that needed to be used, as well as a small bit of feta. Your search box came in handy! The only additions I made were some caramelized onions & kalamata olives. My husband loved this dish too!
Great to hear, Shannon! I do enjoy being able to search by ingredient or keyword. :) Thanks for your review!
Delicious and quick! Thank you for another weeknight dinner staple.
You’re welcome, Laurie!
I’ve made this recipe several times lately and my family and I love it. Super easy, healthy, and really good. Sometimes I am missing an ingredient or two and it’s easy to tweak here and there to fit what I’ve got. I’ve always skipped the red pepper flakes, but will try adding those one of these times.
I love that you tweak this based on what you have! What has been your favorite variation?
One of my favourite pasta recipes on your blog! Delicious!
Thank you! I’m glad you love it, Colleen.
Made this recipe vegan by adding kalamata olives instead of the feta. I upped the acidity content by adding a bit more fresh lemon juice and cherry tomatoes, otherwise no changes except I couldn’t find DeLallo orzo so I used a different whole wheat pasta. This was another perfect recipe, Kate! Thank you! Lately I’ve been making more of your recipes than any other :)
Sounds like a great way to make this work for you, Heather! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kate, I love eggplant but unfortunately, not my husband..can I, *groan*, leave it out or sub with anothe veggie?
My daughter just sent me this recipe site.
Welcome, Joanne! I really do love eggplant here. However, yellow squash or zucchini could be nice.
This was awesome! I will definitely make it again.
I made two small changes:
upped it to 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
and
approx 3 tbsp of kalamata olives instead of the pine nuts, which I didn’t have in the house.
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing, Kristin!
Yummm! I might try this with a dollop of ricotta!?
Love everything I’ve cooked using your recipes, I’ve ordered your book which is tracking to arrive today! Woo!
Pats to Cookie :-)
Sure! Let me know what you think of the cookbook. I’m excited for you to get it!
I’m loving your book, I haven’t stopped looking at it. I’ve already made 2 dishes and will no doubt make something today…. It’s soo good! Thank you :-))
I love eggplant, even thought the rest of my family hates it. This sounds delicious so I may try it on them!
I hope they like it! Or just make this for yourself. :)
Delicious! I substituted Parmesan for the feta because my husband is lactose intolerant and everyone loved it!! Definitely a keeper!
Great to hear it was a hit, Kim! I appreciate your review.
This is a winner! Even with my oldest son, who doesn’t even like eggplant ;-)
Everything I have made from Cookie and Kate is so wonderful! This is such a great dish for any time of year. The only thing I changed was I substituted pine nuts with pumpkin seeds since those are my preference. Turned out wonderfully.
Hi Kate! Love your website and app! I use ours recipes a few times a week. Do you think this recipe would be good served room temp or cold? Looking for a make ahead pasta salad for a potluck
I think this could be a great cold dish for lunch!
Question! What would be people’s thoughts on freezing some of this? I’ve got tons of eggplant that I need to store, and this looks delicious! Appreciate the help!
I would be hesitant to freeze this one with the pasta, but you should try my https://sooka.info/best-ratatouille-recipe/%3C/a%3E%21%3C/p%3E
Thank you for your help!
This is such a wonderful weeknight recipe! I’ve made it a few times now, always when my fiancé is away because he doesn’t love eggplant. I snuck it in this week though and he loved it! The only changes I make to it are to use double the feta, and pepitas instead of pine nuts. They’re slightly more affordable and there’s more crunch which I love.
Thank you for sharing, Lyndsay!
This has become my absolute go-to for weeknights and leftovers on weekends. It can be made in 30min from prep to table which is ideal. I use 2-3x the in-brine feta which adds to the calories but it’s soooo tasty and worth it for me. Otherwise I don’t change anything and this is divine. It would also be awesome as a pasta salad in warmer weather!
Amazing!
Thank you! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
So yum!
Yummy! Made this almost exactly to the recipe but I had a lot of orange and red peppers so I roasted them also. I didn’t have fresh basil or pine nut. Still Excellent!! Thank you so much for your recipes.
You’re welcome, Millie!
Omg what a delicious way of eating Orzo. I made it with zucchini instead of eggplants as I didn’t have them handy. And I toasted the pine nuts. Perfection thank you.
Great recipe – delicious and easy to put together! We followed your substitution recommendations (Kalamata Olives instead of Feta and gluten free pasta instead of the Orzo) — and it was absolutely delicious! We often make your Eggplant Parmesan, and while I was searching for the recipe I found this one and decided to make something new. What another great find! I doubled the recipe – but it still left hardly any leftovers as my husband went back for 3 rounds! I must say – my all time favorite recipe of yours, is the peanut sauce over broccoli and red peppers over a bed of rice (from your cookbook) – that has become one of our favorite go-to recipes that we make almost weekly! Thanks as always!
This was amazing! I didn’t add the feta and it was still delicious. I served it with chicken as a side dish and it was perfect. Would definitely make again.
Delicious! I substituted sundried tomatoes for the roasted tomatoes and it still worked great :)
Delicious! I had all of the fresh ingredients in my CSA, so this recipe was a godsend. I used red wine vinegar instead of lemon, and it was wonderful.
Thank you for sharing, Eileen! I’m glad you loved it.
I served this dish as a salad and loved it. I substituted ditalini pasta for orzo and chopped walnuts for pine nuts, since that’s what I had in my pantry. Also added lemon zest. Otherwise, I made the recipe as written. The delicious dressing is a good contrast to the sweetness of the eggplant and tomatoes.
Another delicious, tasty and easy recipe! Made it for dinner tonight and it didn’t disappoint. The only thing I would do differently next time is to peel the eggplant. I found the skin too tough and hard to chew. Maybe I bought an old eggplant? Even so, it was an awesome recipe and I’ll definitely make it again. Thank you Kate for such a variety of great vegetarian recipes, complete with detailed instructions which I appreciate!
Hi! It may have been old, or just not picked at the best ripeness. I’m happy you were still able to enjoy it, Carolou.
This recipe transported me to heaven! I definitely forgot to buy feta so I used goat cheese instead and I received so many compliments. Definitely very easy to make.
I love it! Thank you for taking the time to review, Rachel.
This is a wonderful recipe I just love it. I love the roasted vegetables and the simple dressing is the perfect compliment to it. Another amazing recipe, thanks!!
Made this last night in my quest to eat more eggplant. I was pleasantly surprised and just how good it was ( and I didn’t even have the basil it called for). It will be a new regular!
Solid 5 stars. My fiance who thinks that meals are not complete without meat in it thought it was spectacular! Definitely will be making this recipe again!
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Lisa. I’m happy it was such a hit.
Thank you for this fantastic recipe, it is now officially our favourite pasta and has joined our weekly menu! It is so simple to make and clean up after, and it is filling without making you feel overloaded. Love it.
Great, Michelle!
yummy!
I sliced the eggplant in thin slices which creates a different texture and I used orrechiete.
Made it for lunch today and we loved it. It was so yummy . Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I’m happy it was a hit, Sunitha! Thank you for your review.
How do you roast eggplant? Ingredients say tomatoes shopping list says 28 oz tomatoes ie canned?
Hi Gloria, see step two. I hope this helps!
This is one of my favourite pasta dishes and I have made it lots of times. Didn’t have any feta, so made it with goat cheese this time, lovely and creamy, maybe even better than with feta, but a nice change anyway. Congrats to you all on the arrival of baby Grace. Treasure the time, it goes so fast. My babies are now in their forties and grandchildren are wonderful too. But a baby in the family is so special. Thanks for all your delicious recipes, ow that it is fall, we are back to some of your yummy soups.
I made this for Easter for my vegetarian family members – delicious
Great to hear, Jessica! I appreciate your review.
I first made this recipe for my boyfriend and I on one of our first dates back in 2019. To this day, it’s his favourite recipe I make! It’s a hit at every social gathering, great for meal prep, and pairs well with any grilled meat on the side, or on its own. I like to add in zucchini as well :)
So simple, yet so good! Thank you Kate!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Sherry.
Made this tonight and it was delicious, fast and easy. Used kalamata olives as you suggested to make it vegan. And you are right, the eggplant was pillowy. Thanks for a recipe that was both tasty and used what was in the fridge and herb garden!
Just made this and it’s delicious even without the feta. Loved all the flavors together.
I added Kalamata olives as suggested. I’m going to serve it cold and as a side tonight.
Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
Delish. I added the (organic) lemon peel.
I made this with zucchini instead of eggplant bc that’s what I had….it was delicious!!!
Great to hear, Erin! I appreciate your review.
I’m returning to this oldie but goodie recipe and wondering how many cups is half a pound of orzo? I no longer have a scale.
Hi! 8oz is a half pound and I believe the package is sold this way. I hope that helps!