Preheat the oven to 400. Prepare the eggplant, tomatoes, shallots, carrot and garlic for roasting. For the eggplant, cut the ends off, and peel about 1/2 the skin away. I leave half the skin for nutrients and texture, then cut into 1 inch cubes. The idea is for all of the veggies about the same size so they roast evenly, discard any small pieces as they will burn before the rest of the veggies are roasted. I leave the garlic in its skin to roast so it doesn’t burn, then peel before adding it to the food processor. Spread the veggies on a baking sheet, toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Roast the veggies 30-40 minutes until lightly golden brown.

While the veggies are roasting, pulse the pine nuts in your food processor until finely chopped, about 6 long pulses and reserve. It should be similar to the texture of parmesan.

When the veggies have about 15 minutes left, bring a large pasta pot of purified water to a boil. Once boiling, add about a tablespoon or so of salt to the water to flavor the pasta (most if it says in the water) and cook the pasta to al dente. In most cases, read the package instructions and cook it 1-2 minutes less than the cooking time, I cook mine exactly 6 minutes. Before you drain the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking liquid to thin out your sauce if needed. (Tip: You can cook the pasta while you finish the sauce, or wait until after if you don’t want to manage more than one process at a time.)

To finish the sauce, carefully add the roasted veggies to your food processor, remembering to peel the skins off the garlic first. Again, be careful as it will be hot. Along with the roasted veggies, add 5 fresh basil leaves, the oregano, pinch of crusted red, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste) to the food processor, then pulse a few times and process about 30 seconds until well blended and thick. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if needed.

In a large bowl (or back into the pasta pot), add the drained pasta, ground pine nuts, then sauce. Add the sauce last so you can adjust the amount if needed. Once combined, use a small amount of the starchy pasta water if the sauce needs to be thinned out, I usually don’t have to in this dish but it will depend on the type of pasta you use and how much water was in your veggies. Add 1 tablespoon at a time if needed until the desired texture is achieved.

While hot, fold in 2 cups (that’s about two large handfuls) of fresh arugula. The heat of the dish will wilt the greens. Garnish with your last few basil leaves (finely chop or chiffonade) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Best served hot, but it’s also delicious room temp or cold.