Rigatoni With Eggplant Mushrooms And Goat Cheese Food

RIGATONI WITH CREAMY EGGPLANT AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the onion and garlic and cook until just softened. Add eggplant, stir to coat in oil, then let cook, stirring rarely, until softened and golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove half eggplant mixture and reserve.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, add the tomatoes, cream, and half the basil, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld and sauce is slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.
• Drain pasta and return to the pot off the heat. Pour sauce over top and stir until well coated. Add reserved eggplant, remaining basil, and mozzarella and mix until the cheese starts to soften. Serve immediately.

RIGATONI WITH ITALIAN EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook. Continue stirring until softened, about 3 more minutes.
• Add tomatoes, with liquid, breaking them up with the back of spoon. Stir in wine, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
• Bring large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente; drain. Toss pasta with sauce in pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Serve on a large platter and top with grated Romano cheese.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Get yourself a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
• Heat a 2 count of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.
• Turn the heat down to medium. Add a generous 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.
• Add another 2 count of oil to the skillet, then your onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.
• By this time your pasta water will be boiling. Add the rigatoni, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta.
• Oil a 9x13 pan with olive oil.
• Heat a 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.
• Turn the heat down to medium.
• Add 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.
• Add another 3 Tbsp olive oil to the skillet, then the onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent.
• Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.
• Add the rigatoni to the boiling pasta water, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water.
• Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula until combined.
• Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT, MUSHROOMS AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggplant, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth and olives. Season with thyme, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender. Toss with pasta and goat cheese.

RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT, MUSHROOMS AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggplant, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth and olives. Season with thyme, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender. Toss with pasta and goat cheese.

RIGATONI WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
• Return pasta to pot, and toss with goat cheese and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, and add some of the reserved pasta water as desired. Sprinkle with preferred topping, and serve.

RIGATONI WITH BEEF AND EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)

Steps:

• Place eggplant in colander and weight down with plate to drain juices.
• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and mushrooms, cook, stirring frequently until softened.
• Add ground beef, breaking up with spoon; cook until browned.
• Drain well, then transfer to bowl.
• Add eggplant and broth to same skillet; cover and cook 5 minutes.
• Uncover; add garlic, salt, thyme and red pepper; cook 2 minutes.
• Stir in vinegar.
• Reduce heat to medium; add tomatoes and beef mixture, breaking up tomatoes with spoon.
• Cover, simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors.
• Toss with rigatoni and parsley.

RIGATONI WITH TOMATO, EGGPLANT, & RED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Warm 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a saucepan over moderate heat, add the onion, cover, and cook until tender: about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, red pepper, and garlic, cover, and cook for a futher 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour in the tomatoes with their juice, reduce the heat, and cook slowly, uncovered, until the excess liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thick and puree-like (about 20-25 minutes). Season to taste with salt and black pepper and keep warm.
• Pour 4 1/2 quarts of water into a large pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Drop in the pasta, give it a quick stir, then let the water boil steadily until the pasta is al dente: tender but not soft right through. Bite a piece to check.
• Drain the pasta but leave some water clinging to it, and return it to the hot pan with the remaining olive oil and a good seasoning of salt and black pepper. Toss the pasta to coat it with the oil.
• Pour in the sauce and toss the pasta once more. Serve at once, with flakes of Parmesan if desired, and basil leaves to garnish.

CHEESY EGGPLANT AND RIGATONI BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook rigatoni according to package instructions but keep it slightly more al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water, then drain and rinse pasta under cold water, and transfer to a large bowl while you cook the eggplant.
• 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.
• 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 1 1/2 cups as needed to create a silky sauce.
• 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.
• 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.

RIGATONI WITH ZUCCHINI AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Boil pasta according to package directions, cooking until just barely tender (a little undercooked is better than overcooked). When it's done, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
• While the pasta's cooking, sauté the eggplant, zucchini, onions, bell pepper and garlic in 2 tablespoons water in a nonstick pan over medium heat, adding more water if needed to prevent sticking. When the vegetables are tender, add the reserved pasta cooking water, 1 teaspoons basil, 1 teaspoons oregano, the rosemary, 1 teaspoons salt, tomatoes, and tomato sauce; stir, and keep warm.
• Combine the mashed tofu with the pine nuts, parsley, nutritional yeast, and remaining basil, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir the cooked rigatoni into the tofu.
• Lightly coat a 4-quart casserole with vegetable oil spray. Spread a thin layer of the vegetable mixture over the bottom (you just want a little sauce there to keep the pasta from sticking). Place a layer of half the pasta mixture, then cover with half the sautéed vegetables; repeat layers.
• Cover the casserole and bake it for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with soy Parmesan cheese, if you want.
• This is a great dish to serve to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Unfortunately, if you bring it to the Unitarian church in my town, you won't have any leftovers to bring home!

RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT, MUSHROOMS AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggplant, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth and olives. Season with thyme, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender. Toss with pasta and goat cheese.

RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT AND DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Cut onion into 8 wedges. Place in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; brush with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Roast in a 425 degree F oven for 10 minutes.
• Cut stem end off eggplant; discard. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Brush with remaining olive oil. Stir onion; place eggplant in pan, cut sides down. Continue roasting for 15 minutes more or until onion is golden brown and eggplant is just tender.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Toss the cooked pasta with Dried Tomato Pesto and pepper.
• Transfer pasta to a serving bowl; keep warm.
• Transfer eggplant to a cutting board; using a serrated knife, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. (Use a fork to steady eggplant as you slice.)
• Toss eggplant and onion with pasta; season to taste with salt. Top with cheese and Italian parsley, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 side-dish servings or 4 main-dish servings.
• Dried Tomato Pesto: Drain 3/4 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes (about 3/4 of a 7-ounce jar), reserving oil. Add olive oil to equal 1/2 cup; set aside. In a food processor bowl or blender container, combine the drained tomatoes; 8 cloves garlic, chopped; 1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds; 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed; and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and process or blend until finely chopped. With machine running, gradually add the 1/2 cup oil, processing or blending until almost smooth and stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Divide pesto into thirds. Use a third for Rigatoni with Eggplant and refrigerate the remaining 2 portions up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Makes approximately three 1/3-cup portions.

RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT, MUSHROOMS AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggplant, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth and olives. Season with thyme, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender. Toss with pasta and goat cheese.