Baked Rigatoni With Zucchini And Eggplant

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• 1 (28 ounce) can italian tomatoes
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large eggplant, cut into approx. 1/3-inch dice
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 large zucchini, halved and sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350°f.
• 2 cook the rigatoni in a large pot of salted water, stirring occsasionally, until al dente. drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. return the pasta to the pot while preparing the sauce.
• 3 puree the tomatoes with their juices in a blender or food processor and remove the seeds by passing the puree through a fine strainer placed over the bowl.
• 4 in a large non-stick skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.add half of the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. using a slotted spoon, remove eggplant and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. repeat procedure with remaining eggplant.
• 5 remove vegetable oil from skillet and add the olive oil. over medium heat, saute the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add the zucchini and onion and saute' for 6 minutes.
• 6 add the tomato puree, basil, and oregano. simmer over medium heat until sauce is reduced, about 15 minutes. stir in eggplant and season`with salt and pepper.
• 7 fold eggplant and zucchini sauce into the rigatoni along with mozzarella and reserved cooking water.
• 8 transfer the pasta to a 9x13-inch baking dish. sprinkle parmesan cheese evenly over the top. bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.
• 9 serve the pasta piping hot.