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Baked eggplant rigatoni with four cheeses

Servings:
Makes 8 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1 small eggplant (1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cup basic tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoon torn fresh basil
  • 1 pound rigatoni pasta
  • 8 ounce fresh mozzarella, diced
  • 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 3/4 cup grated fontina cheese
  • 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

Baking Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the eggplant on a sheet tray, drizzle with the oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Toss well to combine.

Roast the eggplant until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer the eggplant to a large saucepan, cover with the tomato sauce, and stir in the basil.

Bring the whole thing up to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to blend all the flavors together.

Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

Drop the oven temperature down to 350 degrees.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions.

Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid from the pot.

Add the pasta to the eggplant sauce and stir to combine, adding 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid to loosen up the sauce, only if needed.

Transfer the eggplant pasta to the prepared baking dish.

Stir in the mozzarella and dollop with the ricotta, giving it a gentle stir but not mixing the ricotta completely into the sauce.

Top the whole thing off with the fontina and Parmesan.

Bake for 35 minutes, until bubbly and golden on top.

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