Baked Penne Pasta with Eggplant (Penne Gratinate con Melanzane) copyright 2011 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

Directions

1. Wash clean and slice eggplant into 1/4” slices. Grill each slice with a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly torn parsley leaves and set aside. Clean and filet tomatoes, remove seeds. Place 3 tablespoons olive oil and 2 cloves garlic in saute pan, saute for 1 minute or until garlic is just beginning to become golden. Place in tomatoes, saute ,after 5 minutes place in cleaned whole carrot and one small stalk of celery,saute for approx 20 minutes or till most of the liquid has disappeared. Remove from heat. Set aside. Boil water for pasta and cook till al dente (should be approximately 11-12 minutes). Drain. Place in tomato sauce and toss lightly till all pasta is coated with tomato.
2. Cover baking dish with baking paper. Lightly drizzle olive oil on bottom of pan. Layer penne pasta, then layer of grilled eggplant slices, then some slices or torn pieces of fresh mozzarella, a sprinkling of parmigiana-reggiano cheese, and repeat. Top layer should be pasta topped with fresh mozzarella and grated cheese. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven of 425 degrees and for place under broiler for another 5 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
3. Serve with a Chianti or Montepulciano..