Baked Pasta with Eggplant and Zucchini

1 pound short pasta e.g. rigatoni, penne, farfalle, etc.
2 14 ounce cans whole tomatoes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large eggplant or 4 finger eggplant
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 large zucchini, sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
2 teaspoons finely chopped oregano or marjoram
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound grated mozzarella
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

Pre-heat oven to 350º.


Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking liquid. Puree the tomatoes in a food processor. Pour the mixture through a sieve and remove seeds and reserve liquid.


Cut eggplant into chunks and place in a large baking dish. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of oil and bake until softened and starting to brown a little.


Heat remaining oil in a pan and sauté the onion, garlic and zucchini until the zucchini has softened. Add the tomato puree and herbs and simmer until the sauce has reduced by one-third. Stir in the eggplant and season to taste. Pour sauce over pasta and stir to combine with reserved cooking liquid and mozzarella.


Spoon mixture into a large shallow gratin or lasagne dish and sprinkle the parmesan over the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.



Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ANDTCKRTOO.