Linguine Bake With Aubergine Cherry Tomatoes And Mozzarella Recipes

ITALIAN AUBERGINE TRAYBAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a roasting tin, toss the aubergine with the oil and roast for 15 mins, then stir in the tomatoes, garlic, olives and torn basil leaves, and cook for another 10 mins.
• Top with the bread and dot with the chunks of mozzarella. Bake for a further 25 mins, then scatter over the remaining basil leaves before serving.

EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season aggressively with salt. Add the rigatoni and cook 3 minutes less than the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toss the eggplant and tomatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread on the baking sheet and roast until the eggplant is golden brown and tomatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
• Toss the rigatoni with the eggplant, tomatoes, about 1/4 cup pasta water and the marinara sauce in a large bowl. If it looks dry, add the remaining pasta water. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Transfer the pasta to the baking dish and top with the remaining cup mozzarella and the Parmesan and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (Turn the broiler on at the end if you want the cheese to brown more.) Garnish with additional Parmesan and the chopped basil and serve.

CREAMY PASTA BAKE WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND BASIL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onion until soft and translucent while penne is cooking, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and tomato paste and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add cream and Parmesan cheese and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking dish.
• Stir some pasta cooking water into the sauce and add cooked penne. Remove from heat and stir in cherry tomatoes, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, and basil. Pour penne mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

LINGUINE BAKE WITH AUBERGINE, CHERRY TOMATOES AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put the aubergine pieces in a roasting tin with the cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic and herbs, season well and drizzle with the oil. Toss together and roast for 45 mins until really soft and tender.
• Meanwhile, cook the linguine in boiling salted water for 8 mins until starting to soften but still firm.
• Drain the pasta (reserving the cooking water) and return to the pan. Add the passata and a splash of cooking water, then toss to mix.
• When the veg is cooked, add to the pasta pan (leaving the oven switched on) and toss together. Tip into a 23cm x 30cm ovenproof dish and dot all over with the mozzarella and olives, nestling them into the pasta.
• Scatter with the grated cheese and breadcrumbs and return to the oven for 10 mins, until the top is golden brown and the cheese is melty and oozy. Cook for a little longer if you want some of the pasta to turn crispy on top.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH AUBERGINE & MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3. Halve the tomatoes through their equator, rather than their core. Stand them cut-side up on a shallow baking tray (I use a nonstick Swiss roll tin). Scatter a little salt, pepper and sugar over the cut surfaces and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice the aubergine into rounds, brush both sides with oil and spread out in one layer on another tray. After the tomatoes have been roasting for 45 minutes, put the aubergines in with them and roast for another 45 minutes.
• Towards the end of the time, cook the pasta in plenty of gently boiling well-salted water until nearly al dente - it should be undercooked because it finishes off in the oven. Drain well and tip into a large bowl. Have ready 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil mixed with the crushed garlic and chopped olives. Toss the oil mixture through the pasta and turn half of it into a 2-21⁄2 litre ovenproof dish.
• Remove the tomatoes and aubergines from the oven. (You can prepare them up to 24 hours ahead.)
• Turn up the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Scatter half the tomatoes and their juices over the pasta in the dish. Roughly tear the basil leaves and scatter on top. Drain the mozzarella, pat dry with kitchen paper, then slice very thinly. Lay two-thirds of the slices over the tomatoes. Grind black pepper over, and scatter over the aubergine. Add the rest of the pasta, top with the remaining tomatoes and mozzarella and then the parmesan. (Can be made up to here 3-4 hours in advance). Bake for 20-25 minutes, until piping hot and the top is extra crusty. Serve hot with a sprinkle of basil and extra parmesan.

AUBERGINE MELTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Drizzle the oil over the aubergine and bake in the oven for 25 mins until softened. Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes and mozzarella, then arrange on top of the aubergine. Return to oven for another 5 mins or until the cheese has melted. Scatter over some basil leaves. Serve with couscous and green salad.