Baked Pasta With Aubergines Eggplants Recipes

EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season aggressively with salt. Add the rigatoni and cook 3 minutes less than the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toss the eggplant and tomatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread on the baking sheet and roast until the eggplant is golden brown and tomatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
• Toss the rigatoni with the eggplant, tomatoes, about 1/4 cup pasta water and the marinara sauce in a large bowl. If it looks dry, add the remaining pasta water. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Transfer the pasta to the baking dish and top with the remaining cup mozzarella and the Parmesan and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (Turn the broiler on at the end if you want the cheese to brown more.) Garnish with additional Parmesan and the chopped basil and serve.

CHEESY EGGPLANT AND RIGATONI BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook rigatoni according to package instructions but keep it slightly more al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water, then drain and rinse pasta under cold water, and transfer to a large bowl while you cook the eggplant.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium. Add half the eggplant, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until golden brown on all sides, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the rigatoni. Repeat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and remaining eggplant and transfer to the bowl.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in red-pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Cook until the tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water, adding up to 1 1/2 cups as needed to create a silky sauce.
• If the skillet is large enough, add the rigatoni and eggplant mixture, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup basil and toss to coat. Otherwise, add the tomato sauce, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup basil to the large bowl with the rigatoni and eggplant, toss to coat and then return to the skillet or transfer to a greased baking dish.
• Top with remaining 3 cups mozzarella and bake until the sauce is bubbling on the sides and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Top with grated ricotta salata and torn fresh basil to serve.

PASTA ARRABBIATA WITH AUBERGINE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan, add the onions, cover and cook for 5 mins. Remove the lid and cook for 5 mins more, stirring frequently until softened. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and paprika, stir briefly, then tip in the tomatoes and a can of water. Stir in the bouillon and aubergine, then bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 mins.
• Cook the penne in a pan of boiling water for 12 mins until al dente. Drain, reserving 60ml of the cooking water. Add the cooked penne to the sauce, and toss well with the basil and a little of the reserved water, if needed. Spoon into two shallow bowls, and serve topped with the cheese and some extra basil, if you like.

BAKED PASTA WITH AUBERGINES (EGGPLANTS)

Steps:

• Slice off both ends from the aubergines and discard.
• Slice the aubergines thinly.
• Arrange the slices in layers on a cutting board, sprinkling each layer with salt.
• Place the cutting board on a draining board, raised and supported on one side so that any liquid resulting from the purging process will drain into the sink. Then cover the slices of aubergine with a heavy weight (e.g., a large saucepan full of water) and leave for a couple of hours.
• During this time a somewhat bitter liquid will drain from the aubergines -- this is the purging process, as it's referred to in Italy.
• After 2 hours rinse the slices and pat dry. Lightly flour the slices to prevent them from absorbing too much oil when they are fried.
• While the aubergines are 'purging' prepare the tomato sauce.
• Heat the oil in a frypan and gently fry the chopped onion and garlic until softened.
• Add the tomatoes with their liquid, sugar, salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste and cook on high, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
• When the sauce is reduced and thick, check the seasoning.
• Using a blender or food processor, puree the sauce.
• Start the water boiling for the pasta in a large pot.
• While the water is heating, fry the aubergine slices in hot olive oil, using plenty of oil and frying only a few slices at a time. Do not let the slices become too crisp. Drain each batch on paper towels and keep warm.
• Add salt and a few drops of oil (helps prevent the pasta from sticking together) to the boiling water and cook the pasta. Cook the pasta for only half the time stated in the directions as it will continue cooking during the baking process.
• Drain the pasta, toss with some butter, and add the tomato sauce, mixing well.
• Butter a deep ovenproof serving dish and spread a thin layer of pasta on the bottom.
• Cover this with a layer of the aubergine slices, and cover these slices with thin slices of mozzarella.
• Repeat these layers until you have used up all the ingredients, ending with a final layer of mozzarella.
• Dot the top with butter and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes until melted and golden brown.