Baked Ziti With Eggplant, Basil And Ricotta

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 14 ounces ziti pasta or 14 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 3/4 cup light olive oil
• 1 eggplant, halved and cut into very thin slices
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small handful fresh basil leaf, torn
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 4 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
• sea salt and fresh grated black pepper

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 425°f cook the pasta according to the package instructions. drain well and return to the warm pan.
• 2 heat the olive oil in a frying pan and when it is hot, but not smoking, cook the eggplant slices in batches for 2 minutes on each side until golden. remove and place on paper towels. repeat to cook all of the eggplant. pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. add the tomatoes, basil, red wine, 1 cup of water, sea salt and black pepper to taste and bring to a boil. boil for 10 minutes, until you have a thickened sauce. stir in the eggplant then add to the pasta and stir well.
• 3 put the mixture in a large baking dish. spoon the ricotta on top, sprinkle over the pecorino and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden and crispy around the edges.
• 4 enjoy!