Pasta with Eggplant and Basil Pesto

I LOVE Italian food. It is simple, delicious and full of wonderful flavors and smells. Giada DeLaurentis is one of my favorite chefs to pull inspiration from while making Italian dishes & this recipe came from her collection. I was watching the food network while at the gym yesterday and saw her making "Trenette with Eggplant and Basil Pesto" and thought it looked wonderful..... yes, I am one of those sick people who run on the treadmill while watching the Food Network, there is something wrong with me and I fully own up to it :)

Follow the link to Giada's original recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/trenette-with-eggplant-and-basil-pesto-recipe/index.html

I couldn't find Trenette at my local Whole Foods so I opted to use one of my favorite pastas instead: Cavatappi. This is a cute little curly pasta which traps sauce and flavor inside as well as along the ridges of the pasta. Plus, its pretty... I always appreciate pretty food.

The eggplant was supposed to be finished cooking in 8 minutes when it turned golden brown, but mine never got there. I took the eggplant off the burner at 10 minutes because I was worried that it would get overcooked and turn into a squishy mess. Maybe my pan wasn't as hot as it should have been? It worked out in the end and was really delicious, but then again pesto is pretty much the perfect sauce and turns any dish into something wonderful.

I love using a pasta strainer rather than a regular counter strainer because it makes saving pasta water (to thicken the sauce) much easier

HUSBAND RATING: 7 (The dish lost points because it was meatless, but overall he liked the dish)

**If you do not have time to make your own pesto or if you do not have access to fresh basil, this is a wonderful alternative!