Penne with Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini

 

Here is another recipe I prepared using my George Foreman grill as part of the Knock Out the Fat Weight Loss Challenge.Our nutritionist Alysa sent me this recipe.

Unfortunately, for my family this was not a winner. I am not sure if it was something I did or what. The eggplant was too mushy, maybe too over cooked? Too “ripe”? It just was not a winner. I loved the zucchini though and of course my sauce obsessed hubby wished there was some sort of sauce to use over the pasta. I am not sure if I would make some changes to this and try again or just file it away.I did add the optional chicken to give it more flavor but you could easily leave it out for a vegetarian dish.

Penne with Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1tsp salt

2 small zucchini or 1 large

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large tomato

1-16oz package of whole wheat penne

handful of basil, torn

1/4 cup feta, crumbled

2 cups shredded chicken breast

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions

1. Fill a pot with water and place over high heat to bring to a boil, heat up your grill over medium-high heat.
2. Trim ends off eggplant. Slice in half and then into 3/4″strips length-wise. Place in a colander in the sink, toss with salt and let sit for about 10 minutes. While that sits, trim the ends off the zucchini and cut into thirds, length-wise. After the 10 minutes are up, rinse the eggplant a pat dry.
3. Toss eggplant and zucchini with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place on the grill for about 8 minutes, turning halfway through.
4. While you grill the veggies, boil your penne according to package directions.
5. Chop tomato and grilled eggplant and zucchini into 3/4″ chunks.
6. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Toss in the eggplant, zucchini, tomato, basil, chicken, feta and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Disclosure: I am one of 10 Brand Ambassadors in the George Foreman Knock out the Fat Weight Loss Challenge. I was sent a George Foreman Grill for my participation in this challenge and will be compensated for my time at the end of the 90 day challenge. HOWEVER, ALL opinions expressed in this post are 100% my own

Tagged as: chicken, George Foreman Knock Out the Fat Weight Loss Challenge, Healthy Living, main dish, recipe, Vegetarian