Even though I completely adore the eggplant lasagna I’ve featured on this blog several times, I’ll be the first to admit that it takes a little longer to make than I’d like most days. I guess I’m a 20 minutes or less kinda girl!
That particular recipe was calling to me after work today but I was feeling a little too lazy to follow through and make it. Instead, I sliced up the eggplant, salted it and let it lay out over the sink to remove the bitter flavor while I headed out to JoAnn’s to pick up some craft supplies to make our save the dates this weekend.
Salted Eggplant
When I returned, I popped the eggplant into the oven and let them roast at 415 degrees for approximately 10 – 15 minutes.
While the eggplant slices were roasting, I added oregano and basil to ricotta cheese to place on top of the eggplant.
Ricotta + Spices
Once the eggplant was slightly browned, I topped the slices (Let’s call them medallions to sound fancy, shall we?) with the ricotta mixture. I then added grilled chicken, pasta sauce and cheese on top of the ricotta and baked the medallions in the oven until the cheese was ooey gooey.
Eggplant + Chicken + Sauce + Cheese
Eggplant Slice
On the side I enjoyed a big helping of Monterey Pasta Company Rainbow Five Cheese Tortellini that the company kindly sent me to sample since I have an ongoing love affair with their ravioli.
Rainbow!
I don’t think I was the only one excited to try this in our household…
"Gimme, Gimme!"
I scooped a big serving of the pasta onto my plate with the cheesy eggplant slices.
Dinner is Served
My thoughts on the tortellini? It was nice and cheesy!
I don’t know why, but I was way more excited to eat the red and green tortellini pieces than the standard white pasta pieces. But then again this really shouldn’t surprise me since I always like to pick my favorite colors and flavors out of candy bags… and the chunks of cookie dough out of cookie dough ice cream… and the clams out of clam chowder…
What color candy was typically your favorite?
I always liked the reds and the oranges out of most candy assortments. Ryan is a yellow and green guy, so we’re an ideal candy match!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: dinner, eggplant, Monterey Pasta Company, Recipes, ricotta, tortellini |
Peanut Butter Fingers 
Oh, Julie, those eggplant medallions look so good!! I will have to try this out!!
It depends on the type of candy for me… like if we’re talking skittles then my favorite is red, but if we’re talking M&M’s then I most definitely pick out the blues. Jelly beans are always the pinks and conversation hearts would have to be the purples. 😉
Wow that looks like a delicious meal. I love using tortellini to make pasta salad. I like purple and red for candy.
I always pick out the red & pink starbursts and the red skittles before anyone else can get their hands on them!
i’m a red and yellow girl…starbursts, skittles…YUM!
Julie, you are just so darling! Your eggplant looks super yummy!
I am a red & orange girl myself but NEVER purple! I guess my pet peeve is grape-flavored candy because it never tastes like a REAL grape!
pink or red! because it may be strawberry flavored! but no cherry flavored candies for me, it reminds me of children’s tylenol! hahahaha.
the tortelinis look deeelish!
I’m definitely a red or blue candy kinda gal 🙂
Great idea with the ‘medallions’!
Love this recipe idea- I agree- I like the quick meals- so much easier during the week. This is such a great way to have a gourmet meal on a week night 🙂
My favorite candy is always the grape flavor- LOVE it.
I’m so jealous of all your pasta! Mmmmmm.
My favorite color of candy depends on the KIND of candy! Pink for Starbursts, blue or green M&Ms, those white Smarties, red Skittles…I could go on, but I’ll stop. 🙂
This looks delicious!!! I’ve been looking for eggplant recipes. I’ve not been successful with eggplant in the past.
I always liked reds and pinks… I guess I have girly tastes, huh??? 😉
Blue…doesn’t matter what it is. There’s just something about blue!
Clever eggplant medallions! I bet I would like eggplant if I made it this way. I’m so jealous of all the pasta you received, though it wouldn’t last long in my house!
Great idea with the eggplant!
I’m a red candy colored kinda gal…except Starbursts, then I’m pink 😉
I think it was the blue candy for me…..at least in M&M’s. I like colored pasta much better too….and when we go to a Mexican place and they have the blue, red and green chips….I go for those. 🙂
YUM! That eggplant sounds delicious!
I’d say that I usually like the red/pink/yellows!
I love eggplant parm! It’s my favorite. Yours looks good. 🙂
My favorite color candy (M&M) is blue. 🙂
What a yummy & creative dinner! Did you create that recipe yourself or did you get it from a cookbook? If you have any cookbooks you’d recommend, please let me know — I’m trying to learn how to cook!!
i created it myself b/c i was too impatient to make a normal eggplant lasagna/parm recipe! 🙂 i know cooking light has a lot of good cookbooks, but i usually head to the internet to google recipes more often than not!
Oh God – I’m full and busting …and that still looks freaking amazing!!
I LOVE candy…I change all the time with colors…orange, brown , blue…but, ultimately I’d have to say red …red smarties …and RED LICORICE – SUPER NIBS AND SWEDISH BERRIES to be exact!!!
I always went for the pink and reds. that’s funny you ask that, because today when I was eating m&ms, I found that I kept grabbing the greens. I was like “why am I doing this??”
Great question! Yellow and green candies are always my favorite…and my hubby is a red and purple guy. In fact, when we were dating, I remember him bringing me a huge bag of yellow and green skittles, cause he picked them all out for me!
aw! he’s a keeper.
I always liked the white ones. Call me ‘plain bagel’ but I am what I am. 🙂
I love the cheesey medallions!
YUM dinner! I always opted for the red and pink candies! It worked perfectly when we were kids because my brother always wanted green and orange!
Depends on the candy. I pick out the red and purple in skittles, red and pink for starbursts. If the colors don’t represent different flavors like m&ms I’m all about the green.
Great eggplant idea. I like crisp cooked eggplant rather than soggy, so this would work for us.
Orange is my fav coloured candy.
Mmmmm…roasted eggplant is so good! Yum!
I pick all of the cookie dough out of cookie dough ice cream as well…and then I end up with a carton of plain old vanilla! 🙂
Can I just say I’m OBSESSED with your hair?!?! 🙂 🙂
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I made this tonight and it was great! Thanks for recipe!