Pasta with pink eggplant sauce

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 eggplant(s)
• 250 g tomatoes, pureed
• 250g penne
• salt water
• 125 g ricotta
• e.g. Parmesan, grated
• optionally grated cheese (Pecorino)
• olive oil
• Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

quick and easy Italian pasta with eggplant, tomato sauce and ricotta

Cut the eggplant into small pieces, sprinkle with salt, and let it sit in a colander for 15 minutes. Add a little olive oil to a pot and pour in the passata. Add a pinch of salt. Cover the sauce and simmer over low heat. After 15 minutes, brown the eggplant in a pan with a little olive oil. When the sauce is ready (usually, the tomato sauce is ready when the olive oil rises to the surface), add the sautéed eggplant to the pot and let it simmer over low heat. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil with a little salt. Then add the pasta to the boiling water and let it cook. Drain the pasta two minutes earlier than planned so it can still cook in the pan. Tip: A “grandma’s method” for measuring the amount of pasta needed per person is to put uncooked pasta into a soup plate—each plate should be enough for one person—but of course, the amount depends on personal taste. Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix well with two spoons. Add the ricotta, then grated cheese—as much and as much as you like—and mix well. When the sauce turns pink and is well blended with the pasta, everything is ready.