Baked Ziti With Eggplant And Ricotta Cheese - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
salt
1 lb ziti pasta (or penne pasta)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, copped
1 garlic, chopped fine
1/4 cup vegetable oil
796 ml tomatoes, cut and undrained
156 ml tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons basil, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
500 g ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
750 ml mozzarella cheese, grated (3 cups)

Preparation

Place eggplant cubes in colander, sprinkle generously with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain thoroughly.
Cook ziti in large amounts of boiling salted water until tender; drain. Add butter and toss to coat.
In large skillet, cook eggplant, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste, 1/2 tsp salt, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese.
In small bowl, blend ricotta cheese, egg and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
In shallow three quart (3mL) casserole, layer half each: cooked pasta, tomato mixture, ricotta cheese mixture and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layering with remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until cheese melts.