Tomato

Weeknight Eggplant Parmesan

April 15, 2021 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

Who isn’t always looking for more attainable weeknight dinners that: 1. aren’t crazy labor intensive 2. use a few ingredients 3. help you eat your veggies 4. are delicious!? I know I always am! Enter this weeknight eggplant parmesan.

This eggplant parmesan is different because you broil the eggplant instead of frying it, saving time and making it healthier. A win win in my book! We’re also getting closer to eggplant and tomato season and I fully intend on making this once a week with local produce.

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Simple Tomato Sauce

September 22, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

I started making this tomato sauce earlier this year when I wanted something lighter and brighter than traditional jarred tomato sauce for homemade gnocchi. Since then I haven’t looked back. Don’t get me wrong, there are great jarred tomato sauces out there, but if I have time I’ll make this instead.

It helps that this only takes a handful of ingredients, all of which I tend to keep on hand. The recipe might look familiar because I’ve used it multiple times before, like in my eggplant rollatini and zucchini ricotta roll-ups. Because I use it so much I thought it deserved its own place on the blog. I hope you like it as much as I do!

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Eggplant Rollatini

August 13, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

I love eggplant and whenever I see it as the farmer’s market, I always reach for it. This summer I made it point to try different eggplant recipes. My default is roasted eggplant with sauteed cherry tomatoes and goat cheese, which is delicious but it was time for some new recipes. That’s when I came up with my roasted eggplant caprese and finally decided to attempt to make eggplant rollatini. I hadn’t made it before because it seemed intimating, but lucky for me (and you!) it’s deceptively easy to make!

This is one of those perfect summer meals that is sure to please vegetarians and carnivores. It’s hardy without being heavy and would make an impressive main course for your next dinner party!

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Roasted Tomatoes and Burrata

August 7, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

As an appetizer, lighter summer dinner, or snack, roasted tomatoes and burrata are the epitome of summer. It’s quick, easy, and highlights ripe tomatoes at their peak.

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Roasted Eggplant Caprese

July 28, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

This roasted eggplant caprese is a play on one of my favorite dishes from Giuseppe’s Ritrovo, one of the best Italian restaurants in Columbus. Giuseppe’s has since taken it off the menu, but they used to have an eggplant caprese stack that I always ordered instead of a salad.

Since they took it off the menu I’ve been on a mission to recreate it. The method I landed on is a little different that the original, but in the best way. I spoon garlic oil on the eggplant when it’s almost done roasting. The eggplant soaks up the flavorful oil resulting in my new favorite way to cook eggplant!

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Summer Burrata Pasta

July 21, 2020 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

This weekend the farmers market had the most gorgeous deep ripe tomatoes that I couldn’t resist. Tomatoes this time of year are good on anything, toast with a little goat cheese, just sliced with olive oil and crunchy sea salt, or my personal favorite with burrata and pasta.

I’ve been making a version of this pasta for years, but this version is definitely my favorite. Using the best ingredients at the peak of the season make this simple dish exceptional! The burrata starts to melt into the tomatoes and olive oil to create the most delicious sauce. The best part, it’s super simple and quick, perfect for hot summer days when you want to spend as little time in the hot kitchen as possible.

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Roasted Tomato Soup

August 28, 2017 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

This is one of my favorite soups. So much so, that it was the first thing I ever cooked for Rich. He was coming over for dinner and I asked him if he liked tomato soup and grilled cheese (who doesn’t?) and later he told me he thought that meant I was heating up a can of Campbell’s tomato soup and making a grilled cheese with American cheese slices. Ha! That was obviously very early into our relationship.

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Goat Cheese Tomato Toast

August 16, 2017 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

This is one of those magical “non-recipes, recipes.” Goat cheese tomato toast sounds so simple, but when you use fresh summer tomatoes and good bread, this is something you’ll end up dreaming about. I used heirloom tomatoes, which I think have a deeper, more complex flavor, but fresh on-the vine tomatoes would work great as well. The sweetness of the tomatoes, creaminess of the goat cheese, crunchy-ness of the toast, all topped with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper make the perfect combination.

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Roasted Eggplant with Sauteed Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

July 31, 2017 by Gretchen Blazer Thompson

I love eggplant. I used to be intimidated to cook it, not knowing what to do with it or how to cook it. But then I figured out how to properly salt it to draw out the bitterness, and roast it. Life changing moment. I’m not going to lie, it took me years of fiddling to get there.

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