Cheesy Eggplant and Rigatoni Bake

By Sue Li

Cheesy Eggplant and Rigatoni Bake
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(1,499)
Comments
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Put on your cozy pants and get comfortable with a giant bowl of this cheesy, eggplant-studded pasta. Don’t be shy about adding plenty of reserved pasta cooking water to the sauce; it's the magical ingredient that creates a silky sauce and keeps the pasta moist while baking. A little grated ricotta salata to finish adds a slight tangy bite that rounds everything out — but, truthfully, more Parmesan or any firm, salted cheese will do.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • 1pound rigatoni
  • 6tablespoons olive oil
  • 2medium eggplants (about 1½ pounds total), cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1small yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 1(28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, juices reserved
  • 1cup lightly packed grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
  • 4cups grated fresh mozzarella (about 1 pound)
  • 1cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus additional for serving
  • Grated ricotta salata, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

580 calories; 27 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 923 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook rigatoni according to package instructions but keep it slightly more al dente. Reserve 1½ cups pasta cooking water, then drain and rinse pasta under cold water, and transfer to a large bowl while you cook the eggplant.

  2. Step 2

    Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium. Add half the eggplant, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until golden brown on all sides, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the rigatoni. Repeat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and remaining eggplant and transfer to the bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in red-pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Cook until the tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water, adding up to 1½ cups as needed to create a silky sauce.

  4. Step 4

    If the skillet is large enough, add the rigatoni and eggplant mixture, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup basil and toss to coat. Otherwise, add the tomato sauce, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup basil to the large bowl with the rigatoni and eggplant, toss to coat and then return to the skillet or transfer to a greased baking dish.

  5. Step 5

    Top with remaining 3 cups mozzarella and bake until the sauce is bubbling on the sides and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Top with grated ricotta salata and torn fresh basil to serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,499 user ratings
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Comments

K

Dear NYT--for those of us who pay for the cooking section and live outside of the US, can you please consider providing metric/gram amounts for the new recipes that you add on to the site? It's really frustrating to have to convert everything before going to buy things--e.g. 28 oz (=793g). Like when you say 1 stick of butter--the sticks of butter sold everywhere else in the world are different from American sizes. A "stick" over here is 250g. Please consider adding metric amounts. Thanks.

Rachel

I recommend salting the eggplant and blotting off extra moisture prior to cooking it. Cook pasta until it still has a good bite. Don’t rinse the pasta. Simmer the sauce for about 20 minutes to bring extra flavor. Add extra pasta water if needed to get sauce to the consistency you desire. Use about a third of the recommended cheese.

DCCymb

So... The picture shows the pasta being baked in what looks like a cast iron pan. I thought you were not supposed to cook tomatoes in this kind of reactive surface. Any thoughts please?

Michael

Fresh mozzarella? Can I use block mozzarella that is grated, or will it result in a very different outcome?

Christa

Turned out much better the second time I made this recipe: like several others, I multitasked ans roasted the eggplant. Halved the recipe and made in my 12" Cusinart skillet this time with Creamette bronze-cut thick-and-hearty penne, and swapped parsley for basil since parsley was what I had on-hand. Flavorful, simple, and warming on a cold, overcast March day. I never used to buy eggplant out of season, but it has been on sale, and I do love eggplant, which made this dish meaty without the meat.

Christa

@Rachel Feldman I also roasted the eggplant while making the sauce and typically do so with other similar recipes as well: glad to see someone else do so as well--thank you for posting.

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