Baked Ziti With Eggplant, Basil And Ricotta - cooking recipe

Ingredients

14 ounces ziti pasta or 14 ounces rigatoni pasta
3/4 cup light olive oil
1 eggplant, halved and cut into very thin slices
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 small handful fresh basil leaf, torn
1/2 cup red wine
4 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
sea salt and fresh grated black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425\u00b0F Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain well and return to the warm pan.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and when it is hot, but not smoking, cook the eggplant slices in batches for 2 minutes on each side until golden. Remove and place on paper towels. Repeat to cook all of the eggplant. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, basil, red wine, 1 cup of water, sea salt and black pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, until you have a thickened sauce. Stir in the eggplant then add to the pasta and stir well.
Put the mixture in a large baking dish. Spoon the ricotta on top, sprinkle over the pecorino and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden and crispy around the edges.
Enjoy!