my favorite rigatoni pasta with eggplant & ricotta sauce

Name: my favorite rigatoni pasta with eggplant & ricotta sauce
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients: 2 large eggplants (aubergines); 1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced; 1/3 cup vegetable oil, more as necessary; 2 tablespoons olive oil, more as necessary; 1-26 ounces canned or boxed chopped tomatoes, about 6 cups; 3 garlic cloves, finely minced; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2-3 leaves fresh basil; salt, to taste; 3-4 tablespoons ricotta cheese, or more depending on preference; 3 tablespoons grated Parmiggano Romano cheese, plus more for serving; 4 whole basil leaves (optional for garnish); salt, to taste; ground pepper, to taste; 1 pound rigatoni pasta; handful salt for pasta water

In a perfect world, I would eat pasta at every meal…along with a crunchy, crispy salad…just pure happiness. And rigatoni pasta is one of the best shapes of pasta!

Rigatoni topped with eggplant, fresh tomato sauce and soft dollops of ricotta cheese creates the appeal of a hearty flavored sauce combined with lovely, light creaminess of cheese.

You can make the tomato sauce in the recipe or substitute a good store-bought brand, and then just finish it with the eggplant and ricotta.

my favorite rigatoni pasta with eggplant & ricotta sauce

In a perfect world, I would eat pasta at every meal…along with a crunchy, crispy salad…just pure happiness. And rigatoni pasta is one of the best shapes of pasta!

Rigatoni topped with eggplant, fresh tomato sauce and soft dollops of ricotta cheese creates the appeal of a hearty flavored sauce combined with lovely, light creaminess of cheese.

You can make the tomato sauce in the recipe or substitute a good store-bought brand, and then just finish it with the eggplant and ricotta.

Posted by Barbara

Ingredients

Recipe serves: 4-6

	2 large eggplants (aubergines)
	1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced
	1/3 cup vegetable oil, more as necessary
	2 tablespoons olive oil, more as necessary
	tomato sauce
	1-26 ounces canned or boxed chopped tomatoes, about 6 cups
	3 garlic cloves, finely minced
	1 tablespoon olive oil
	2-3 leaves fresh basil
	salt, to taste
	final steps
	3-4 tablespoons ricotta cheese, or more depending on preference
	3 tablespoons grated Parmiggano Romano cheese, plus more for serving
	4 whole basil leaves (optional for garnish)
	salt, to taste
	ground pepper, to taste
	pasta
	1 pound rigatoni pasta
	handful salt for pasta water

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thoughts&stories

Eggplant has one downside. The best flavor results after it is steeped in salt, to remove bitterness. An extra little step to consider when making this wonderful dish.

If you do buy very fresh eggplants in season (May-September) and in a farmers market, you will find that soaking them is not necessary. You can tell how old an eggplant is by cutting it in half and looking at the seeds – lots of seeds means it is older, and a few seeds means it is more fresh.

Eggplants, like tomatoes, are a fruit!

A note: Italians estimate about 100 grams (about 4 ounces per person – 1 pound box serves 4 people). But if serving as a starter, you may want to the portion size to be slightly smaller. I often measure out the pasta (since shapes differ) onto the plate that will be used to “guess-timate” the right amount. You also need to consider the heartiness of the sauce and determine if more or less should be served – lighter the sauce = more, heavier a little less.

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Posted by Barbara

time
1.5 - 2 hours
serves
4
skill level
Easy

Ingredients

2 large eggplants (aubergines)
1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup vegetable oil, more as necessary
2 tablespoons olive oil, more as necessary
tomato sauce
1-26 ounces canned or boxed chopped tomatoes, about 6 cups
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 leaves fresh basil
salt, to taste
final steps
3-4 tablespoons ricotta cheese, or more depending on preference
3 tablespoons grated Parmiggano Romano cheese, plus more for serving
4 whole basil leaves (optional for garnish)
salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
pasta
1 pound rigatoni pasta
handful salt for pasta water

Directions

1 Done	soaking eggplants Cut the eggplants into 1 inch sized cubes. You do want to remove the green part (the cap) of the eggplant.
2 Done	In order to remove bitterness in the eggplant the following step is important. Place eggplant cubes in a colander within a large bowl. Cover pieces with salt. You want to work in layers to assure eggplant pieces are covered. Set aside for 1 hour.
3 Done	tomato sauce Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan - make sure the oil covers bottom of the pan, add more oil if necessary. Add the tomatoes. You can also substitute with you favorite store-bought sauce.
4 Done	When tomatoes begin to soften in 3-4 minutes, add the garlic, basil leaves and sprinkle of salt. Lower the heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes.
5 Done	eggplant sauce After one hour, discard the dark juice from the eggplant and rinse off. Squeeze out any excess water in eggplants.
6 Done	In a medium saute pan, add the vegetable oil and place over medium heat. Vegetable oil should come up about 1/4 inch (6mm) from bottom of pan - add more if necessary.
7 Done	Working in batches, place eggplants in one single layer - loosely fitting the pan, you want to be able to turn them and mix evenly.
8 Done	Cook until tender and slightly brown, gently on all sides. It should take about 4-5 minutes. Adjust heat and oil as necessary.
9 Done	Transfer cooked eggplants to a plate lined with paper towel to drain.
10 Done	Take another pan (or wipe clean the same one used for eggplants), place the 2 tablespoons olive oil and the sliced onions over low to medium heat. Cook until onions become golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.
11 Done	Add the eggplants to the pan, mix well and then pour in the tomato sauce. Toss all together for a minute or two. You can make the sauce up to a day in advance and reheat.
12 Done	pasta Bring a large pot of water to a boil, 4 quarts (about 2 litres). You want plenty of water, pasta needs to move around or it may become mushy. If you do not have a large pot, use two small ones.
13 Done	Add a generous bit of salt - or a general rule is 1 heaping tablespoon for each pound of pasta. The water should be "slightly less salty than the sea."
14 Done	Add the pasta, mix around, set timer for 7 minutes but test the pasta (remove one piece and bite into it) after 5 minutes.
15 Done	Once the pasta is al dente (slightly chewy and resistant to the bite) take out 1 cup of the pasta water (set aside in case you need to loosen the sauce), and then remove pasta immediately and drain.
16 Done	Place pasta in the saute pan with the eggplant sauce, toss well. If sauce seems too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons to sauce to loosen - especially if you cooked the sauce in advance and/or refrigerated.
17 Done	Plate pasta individually or in a large serving dish, scoop out ricotta in small teaspoons all around the sauce, sprinkle with romano cheese and serve. I like to also top with a few large leaves of fresh basil.