Spaghetti With Eggplant And Goat Cheese Food

PASTA ALLA NORMA (EGGPLANT PASTA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C / 450°F (220°C fan). Line a tray with baking / parchment paper.
• Toss eggplant with oil, salt and pepper. Spread on the tray and roast for 20 minutes.
• Flip, then roast for a further 5 minutes. Cool on tray (this helps the eggplant hold its shape when tossing).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Start cooking the pasta a couple of minutes after you start making the sauce (next section), until al dente or to your liking.
• Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cook for 20 seconds until golden, then add onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent and cooked through.
• Increase heat to medium-high and add wine, if using. Let it simmer, scraping the base of the pan to deglaze, until the wine mostly evaporates.
• Add tomato passata. Now pour the water into the passata bottle, screw on the lid, shake, and pour that in too (waste nothing!)
• Add dried herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer 5 minutes.
• Stir in eggplant, then add cooked and drained pasta. GENTLY toss until pasta is coated in the sauce (so the eggplant doesn't turn into complete mush!).
• Serve immediately, garnished with a good pinch of fresh basil and parmesan.

EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Arrange one fourth of eggplant slices in a layer in the bottom of the dish.
• Pour one fourth of pasta sauce on top of eggplant layer.
• Dot pasta sauce layer with one fourth of goat cheese slices.
• Repeat layers three more times with remaining ingredients, ending with a top layer of goat cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until pasta sauce is bubbling and goat cheese is melted, 45 to 60 minutes.

SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• First, make the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 7 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft but not browned. Add the tomatoes, crushing them in your hand to break them up. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and put them in a large bowl. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and drizzle generously with olive oil. Toss to coat, drizzling in more oil if you needed. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 20 minutes until eggplants are very tender.
• While the eggplants are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. About 5 minutes before the eggplants are done, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer and pour it into a large pasta bowl. Add the drained spaghetti and stir to coat with the sauce. Fold in the eggplants and the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and basil, and another drizzle of oil, and toss gently. Serve immediately and pass extra cheese at the table.

GRILLED EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Place the eggplants side-by-side on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Cook's note: Plating the eggplant salad this way allowed the cheese to stay bright white. The salt and pepper showed up on it. The herbs remained green and fluffy. The grill marks on the eggplant were distinct.

SICILIAN STYLE SPAGHETTI AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Slice the eggplants into 1/4-inch rounds. Toss them with 1/4 cup olive oil and some salt and pepper. Grill them until marks have formed and they are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place them onto a paper towel lined platter. Scatter over 2 cloves of sliced garlic, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice, put on a few torn basil leaves, and season it all with salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the sauce.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. Cook the onions until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chile, garlic, olives and a few hand-torn basil leaves. Carefully add the tomatoes and a pinch of sugar; cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. Add the capers, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.
• Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the spaghetti. Stir to make sure the pasta doesn't stick. Cover and return to a boil. Remove cover and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the spaghetti is al dente. Drain and add the spaghetti to the tomato sauce. Add the cheese and mix well. Pile onto a platter and top it with the eggplant slices. Garnish with more basil leaves.

LASAGNA WITH GOAT CHEESE FROM INA GARTEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent.
• Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
• Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink.
• Add the Jar of Ragu Sundried Tomato & Sweet Basil Pasta Sauce Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
• Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

SPAGHETTI WITH EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a big saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil at medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 3 minutes or until golden. Add tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper and 1 big basil leaf. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 45 minutes or until sauce has thicken. (You can prepare the sauce ahead of time, let cool and put in an hermetic container. It will be good in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat sauce before continuing the recipe.).
• Meanwhile, chop remaining basil. Set aside. Put eggplants in a strainer, sprinkle with remaining salt and stir to coat well. Leave to drain in the sink for about 20 minutes. Spronge up with paper towell. In a skillet, heat remaining oil at medium-high heat. Add eggplants, in many batches, and cook for about 4 minutes or until golden. Let drain eggplants in a plate with paper towell.
• Meanwhile, in a big saucepan with boiling salted water, cook pasta 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta and put back in the saucepan. Add tomato sauce and half eggplants and the basil you set aside. Stir to coat well. When ready to serve, sprinkle with goat cheese and remaining eggplants and basil and stir.

EGGPLANT & GOAT CHEESE PASTA

Steps:

• Boil the pasta according to pack instructions.
• Heat the oil in a pan, then gently fry the onion and garlic for about 5 mins until softened.
• Add the eggplant, cook for 3 mins more, then tip in the tomatoes and sugar.
• Add a few drops of tabasco if desired.
• Bring to the boil, simmer for 5 mins, then stir through the basil and goat cheese.
• Toss with the drained pasta and serve.

EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat grill or broiler.
• Cut the eggplant horizontally into slices one-half-inch thick. Cut any slices more than three inches in diameter in half. Very large slices should be quartered. Spread them on a work surface or baking sheet and sprinkle them on both sides with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Grill the eggplant until attractively browned on both sides.
• Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy skillet. Saute the onions over medium heat until the pieces are tender but not brown. Add the garlic and pepper and continue to saute until the pepper pieces are tender. Stir in the tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the thyme and the parsley.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread a fourth of the tomato mixture about two inches deep into the bottom of a one-and-a-half-quart baking dish. Arrange a layer of the eggplant over the tomato mixture, then crumble a third of the goat cheese over it. Repeat twice more, finishing with a layer of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
• Place in the oven and bake about 25 minutes, until heated through. Serve at once.

CHEESE SPAGHETTI

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. Return to pot over low heat. Stir in butter until melted. Stir in milk and cheese until melted and smooth. Season with garlic powder and pepper and serve.