This yummy pasta bake makes a hearty meal for up to four adults….
Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants (sliced thinly, placed in colander, salted with sea salt, and rinsed and patted dry after 30 minutes)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, Italian-style
4 tablespoons tomato paste (with Italian herbs)
1 tablespoon Italian spice mix (I used McCormick)
8 ounces dry penne pasta (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
10 ounces sliced low-fat mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and onion and cook until tender. Add undrained tomatoes, paste, and seasoning. Heat to boiling, reduce and simmer for 30 minutes (until thickened). Cook the pasta until al dente, drain, and add to cooked tomatoes.
Heat remaining oil in another large skillet and lightly fry eggplant in batches till softer and golden. Drain on paper towels.
Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of 2 quart casserole. Layer as follows: 1/3 eggplant slices, 1/2 tomato/pasta mixture, 1/3 eggplant slices, 1/2 of mozzarella slices, 1/2 tomato/pasta mixture, 1/3 eggplant slices, 1/2 of mozzarella slices.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until top layer of cheese is melted and golden.
Let sit for 5 min before slicing. ENJOY!
squirrel circus 
i want it,,., 🙂 m hungry now…
It’s VERY cheesy…..which you may start to notice is a common theme among any “healthy” recipes I post. Love me some cheese!
That looks great! I always buy eggplants because they look so pretty but then I’m always at a loss for a recipe that sounds like something I’d enjoy. But that right there looks right up my alley!
It was SO yummy — as I told littlemissobsessivesanatomy, I like my veggies with plenty o’ cheese 😉
Love eggplant but alas, I never make it since John thinks he doesn’t like it. Since he does the grocery shopping he “claims” they never have it when I put it on the list. Really – have you ever been to the store & they haven’t had eggplant? I really think he would like this (especially given enough cheese). I think I could grab an eggplant at the store myself & sneak this one by him.
You probably could — slice the eggplant thin enough, and he might never notice….
I’d do that. Let’s face it, John likes his food supply to continue so every now & then I think it’s only fair to sneak in a few of my favorites. Hmmm, maybe I could tell him it’s chicken – he likes chicken.