Rigatoni with Eggplant, Tomato and Chili Oil

You will need: (serves 4)

24 oz Rigatoni Pasta
2 medium-sized eggplants (chopped into 1 inch cubes)
1 large spanish onion
8 tbsp fresh ricotta cheese
4 tsp chili oil
Salt
4 cups homemade tomato sauce (plus a little extra for tossing)

(** if you will be making the sauce from scratch follow the easy steps below for a quick fresh sauce**)

To make a simple tomato sauce: (note: seperate ingrediants from above)
Heat up 4 cloves of chopped garlic and 1/2 chopped spanish onion over medium heat with some EVOO.  Add in 1 can of whole tomatoes with their juices (san marzano is the best).  Use a hand mixeer to break down the large tomatoes into a thick sauce.  Add about 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and some salt to taste and bring down the heat to a simmer for at least 30 minutes.  **note** if you want - you can also add 1/2 cup of wine (red for a richer sauce, white for a lighter tomato sauce).

Boil some salted water in a pot for your pasta.  In the meantime, heat some EVOO in a pan and with a generous pinch of salt cook your eggplant until they are slightly browned around the outside (about 4 minutes) - add to your tomato sauce.

Next, cook your onions in the same pan with a little more EVOO until soft (about 4-5 minutes) - add to your tomato sauce.

Once your water has boiled - cook your rigatoni to al dente.  Lightly toss your cooked pasta with some of your tomato sauce and then - when plating- top each bowl with about 3/4 cup of the sauce.  Top each with about 2 tbsp of ricotta cheese and about 1 tsp of drizzled chili oil.

Serve and Enjoy!

xo Chef Natty