Brown Rice Penne with Eggplant, Basil & Balsamic Marinara

I love fresh, I love simple, I love taste, and this amazing pasta dish has all three! Ever since I ditched using commercial pasta sauce, canned tomatoes and canned tomato paste, I’ve been having a ball creating my own marinara sauces choc full of crushed tomatoes and lots of veggies. I truly cannot remember where my inspiration for this recipe came from, but it’s one of my favorite pasta dishes ever. I’m absolutely convinced it will become a favorite in your household too!

The base for this chunky marinara is comprised of fresh eggplant, baby bella mushrooms, chopped tomatoes and zucchini, all organic of course. The veggies compliment each other nicely and provide a lot of bulk to ensure your belly is satisfied without using a ton of pasta!  A diet heavy in pasta is not a part of the Yogitrition diet plan, however I’m realistic and never require my clients to completely eliminate their favorite foods. So when it comes to having pasta from time to time, make sure it’s gluten-free and always include more veggies than pasta!

For robust flavor I used garlic, basil and balsamic mixed with a little tomato paste and water. The trick to this recipe is to use only enough tomato paste and water to provide a saucy texture–too much ends up overpowering the balsamic and basil.

I use bionaturae’s tomato paste in a jar. If you spend enough time on my site, you’ll see that I try to throw in a little education about the toxicity of tomatoes that come in cans lined with BPA.  However, more and more health food stores are carrying bionaturae’s BPA-free canned tomatoes. I love this company and their dedication to keeping food clean! If your store carries the canned tomatoes, feel free to use them instead of the fresh tomatoes in this recipe.

My favorite gluten-free pasta is Tinkyada brown rice pasta–it’s by far the best gluten-free pasta you’re going to find. The texture is firm and will not turn to mush like other gluten-free pastas. This stuff is so good, that the hardest of hardcore pasta lovers cannot tell the difference. Even if you’re not gluten-free I recommend you switch to this brand. It’s a 100 x’s healthier than your standard carb loading pasta.

You can see everything marinating nicely in the pan. The flavor is so delicious I’m actually thinking about leaving out the tomato paste and adding a balsamic reduction next time to create a bruschetta topping. What do you think?

Yummers! Every time I look at this picture I get hungry. I hope it makes you hungry enough to inspire you to create your own homemade pasta sauce. If so, you must let me know in the comments section below. And as always, if you enjoyed this post and would like more recipes like this, please join me at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.