Eggplant & Tomato Rustic Pasta Bake

Name: Eggplant & Tomato Rustic Pasta Bake
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 6-8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 9 ounces semolina rigattoni pasta; 1 cup ricotta cheese; 2 medium eggplants; 12 -14 cherry tomatoes; 1/2 vidalia onion; 1 medium red bell pepper; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon thyme; 1 tablespoon oregano; 1 teaspoon basil; 1 tablespoon parsley

Submitted by healthy mamma

"pick eggplants that are firm and shiny Use semolina pasta, it is just as healthy as whole wheat and tastes better Salting the eggplant takes 40 minutes, so start that in advance. Chop your other veggies while you wait. Salting the eggplant removes the bitter taste. Use FRESH herbs! It makes all the difference, especially since there is no sauce in this dish. The flavor ot the herbs, ricotta and roasted veggies will make your mouth water!"

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Ready In:: 1hr 50mins
Ingredients:: 11
Serves:: 6-8

ingredients

9 ounces semolina rigattoni pasta
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 medium eggplants
12 -14 cherry tomatoes
¹⁄₂ vidalia onion
1 medium red bell pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon parsley

directions

First! Peel eggplant with a butcher knife; don't be afraid to try new veggies, they LOVE you! I don't worry about peeling it perfectly. I like to leave a bit of the skin on, it looks pretty.
~ Slice the eggplant into about 1 1/2 inch slices. Then, cut slices into quarters. Place cut eggplant into large colander a bit at a time sprinkling generously with salt after each layer. This extracts the slight bitter taste. I fill a bowl or large zip lock bag with water and place it on top of the eggplant to help extract the juices. Leave alone for 30-40 minutes.
~ Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400̊ . Cut your cherry tomatoes in half. Cut your onion and RBP into pieces as big as the tomatoes.
~ Place all veggies except eggplant into a large bowl and drizzle with 1 tsp of EVOO, mix to coat (I've found you need to use less oil when you do it this way). Put on baking sheet and into oven for 15 minutes. Remove, set aside.
~ Rinse eggplant under cold running water very well to remove salt. Put them on a kitchen towel, pat to dry. Put eggplant into the same bowl you used for the onion & RBP and drizzle them with a TBSP EVOO, toss to coat. Eggplant soaks up oil so don't use too much! It doesn't need to look evenly coated.
~ Spread evenly on baking sheet and cook at 400̊ for 15 minutes. Don't crowd your veggies or they will steam and be soggy. You want to roast them not steam them.
~ While eggplant is roasting, boil pasta al dente.
~ Put all veggies along with cooked pasta into a casserole dish.
~ Roughly chop and then sprinkle all the herbs onto pasta mix.
~ Gently toss ingredients around to combine and to coat the dish with oil.
Drop Ricotta Cheese by spoonfuls onto pasta mix.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.