Tortiglioni Melanzana - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
1 eggplant, thinly sliced
10 ounces tortiglioni (tube-shaped) pasta
2 tablespoons pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
2 tablespoons grated Grana Padano cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and carrot until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour tomatoes into skillet and sprinkle sugar, salt, and black pepper into mixture. Bring to a simmer, turn heat to low, and simmer while you complete remaining steps. Stir occasionally.
Heat vegetable oil in a separate skillet over high heat and fry eggplant slices in the hot oil until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Drain eggplant slices on paper towels.
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in tortiglioni pasta and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, but still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain.
Mash tomato sauce with a fork until chunky and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in eggplant slices, Kalamata olives, Grana Padano cheese, mayonnaise, and pasta; stir lightly to incorporate.