- It never hurts to have a little more sauce when serving pasta. Be sure to have plenty extra.
- For the size of the baby eggplant used, 20-22 of them was about 2 pounds.
- Couldn’t find scamorza cheese. Substituted smoked mozzarella for the scamorza. To really enjoy the true flavors of this dish, don’t substitute the smoked mozzarella for regular mozzarella.
- Next time may also add about 1/4 cup dried, herbed bread crumbs to the top for texture.
- Serve with a light wine that won’t dominate this meatless pasta dish.
by Domenica MarchettiMakes 6-8 servings
Vegetable oil for baking dish and frying eggplant
1 1/2 – 2 pounds small purple eggplants/Aubergines, cut into large cubes
5 cups fresh tomato sauce (if you like sauce, adjust for more)
1 pound dried rigatoni or other short, sturdy pasta shape
8 ounces smoked scamorza cheese, shredded (you can substitute smoked mozzarella)
8 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded
kosher or fine sea salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or vegetable oil.
Prepare to cook the eggplant by filling a large frying pan with 1/4-inch high vegetable oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Prepare layered paper towels lined with newspaper or paper bags to drain the fried eggplant.
Add some of the prepared eggplant to the hot oil in small batches, taking care not to over crowd the pan. Lightly fry until golden brown on all sides, turning the eggplant several times for about 5 minutes. Remove the batches with a slotted spoon and drain on prepared layered paper towels. Repeat until all the eggplant has been fried.
Transfer fried eggplant to a large bowl and spoon some prepared tomato sauce on top. Gently and evenly distribute the sauce amongst the eggplant. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare rigatoni pasta according to the package’s direction, but just slightly under cooking (so not quite al dente). Drain from pasta water.
Transfer cooked pasta to a very large bowl and spoon about half the sauce over it. Gently toss pasta and sauce until combined. Add eggplant, smoked scamorza (if using), smoked mozzarella, and fresh basil to the bowl. Gently toss and add salt to taste (optional).
Gently transfer the pasta and vegetables to the prepared baking dish, evenly distributing the ingredients. Spoon additional sauce over the top and sprinkle the Parmigiano on top. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted, bubbly and slightly crusted on top. Let stand for 5-8 minutes before serving.
Serve with additional sauce and toss with more of the Parmigiano.
Store any leftovers covered and in the refrigerator.