Roasted Eggplant and Olive Pasta Salad

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into ¾-in. pieces (about 6 cups)
• 1 cup pitted, drained kalamata olives
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 8 ounces casarecce, fusilli, or other short pasta
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, plus leaves for garnish
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)
• 1½ cups (about 8 oz.) multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 475°F. Toss eggplant and olives with 3 tablespoons of the oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in a single layer until eggplant is tender, 18 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Whisk together vinegar, salt, pepper, chopped oregano, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a small bowl.

Toss together pasta, eggplant-olive mixture, feta, tomatoes, and dressing. Garnish with oregano leaves.

Serves 4; 521 calories.

VERDICT: Salty and delicious.  Good warm, but works as leftovers.  Keep.

Moroccan Lentil Salad

• 1 cup dried green lentils, sorted and rinsed 
• ½ tsp. fine sea salt 
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated 
• 2 cups loosely packed chopped kale, stems removed 
• ½ cup chopped toasted pistachios or almonds 
• ½ cup chopped dried Turkish apricots 
• ¼ cup pitted, chopped Kalamata olives 
• 1 Tbsp. Ras el Hanout (Moroccan spice blend) 
• 1 cup uncooked couscous, prepared according to package instructions 

Place the lentils in a medium pot, add the salt, and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender but not mushy, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Place the carrots, kale, nuts, apricots, olives, and Ras el Hanout in a large salad bowl. Add the couscous and lentils and toss until evenly combined. Add two-thirds of the dressing (recipe below), toss, and taste. Add more dressing to taste, if needed.

Cover the salad and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
• ½ shallot, minced 
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt, and pepper in a glass jar with a lid. Shake vigorously until emulsified.

Maple-Dijon Apple Cider Vinaigrette: Add 2 teaspoons maple syrup to the basic recipe. This sweet variation goes superbly with lentil salads. Try it on our Moroccan Lentil Salad with Cauliflower Couscous. Each variation makes ½ cup

Serves 6.

VERDICT: This seems like an odd assortment of ingredients--carrots, apricots, olives--but everything came together really nicely, and it holds up well over a few days for lunches. I added extra olives--my favorite part.  Keep!

Pasta e Fagioli with Escarole

• 1½ cups dried cannellini (white kidney) beans, soaked overnight 
• 1 Parmesan rind (about 2 ounces), plus shaved Parmesan for serving 
• 2 medium carrots, scrubbed, halved crosswise 
• 2 celery stalks, halved crosswise 
• 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise; plus 2 cloves, chopped 
• 6 sprigs parsley 
• 1 sprig rosemary 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 dried chiles de árbol or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more crushed for serving 
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more 
• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 1 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes 
• ¾ cup dry white wine 
• 3 ounces dried lasagna or other flat pasta, broken into 1–1½-inch piece
• ½ small head of escarole, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces

Bring beans, Parmesan rind, carrots, celery, head of garlic, parsley, rosemary, bay leaves, chiles, and 2 quarts water to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, adding more water as needed, until beans are tender, about 1½ hours. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and let sit 30 minutes. Discard vegetables, rind, and herbs.

Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large pot over medium. Cook onion and chopped garlic, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8–10 minutes. Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands, and cook, stirring often, until liquid is almost completely reduced, 12–15 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Add beans and their liquid; cook until flavors meld, 12–15 minutes. Add pasta; cook, stirring and adding more water as needed, until al dente, 15–20 minutes. Add escarole and cook until wilted, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper.

Serve soup drizzled with oil and topped with Parmesan and more chile.

Serves: 4; 550 calories.

VERDICT:  This takes forever, but is really good--creamy, with deep, savory flavors.  I put way more shaved Parmesan on than strictly necessary, which probably didn't hurt.  Keep!