Beef & Eggplant Rigatoni Bake with Tomato & Basil

By bakers_delight85

Ingredients

• 2 eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
• sea salt and black pepper
• 10-1/2 ounces rigatoni
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for the dish
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 lb, 2 ounces lean ground beef
• 3 Tbsp. tomato puree
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Two 14-ounce cans chopped tomatoes
• handful of basil leaves, finely fhpped
• 2-1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese, drained
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 4-1/2 ounce ball of mozzarella cheese, sliced

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Put the eggplant slices in a colander, sprinkle with plenty of salt and stand the colander over a bowl for 15-20 minutes to draw the water from the eggplant.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes, or according to the package directions, until al dente. Drain, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss. Set aside.
Heat another 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a saute pan over medium heat and cook the onion, chile and garlic for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add the ground beef and cook for another 5-6 minutes, until it is browned all over. Add the tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and pepper, then add the tomatoes and basil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Meanwhile, rinse the salt from the eggplant slices and pat dry with paper towels. Pour the remaining oil into a large nonstick skillet or griddle placed over high heat, and fry the eggplant for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. You may need to do this in batches.
Lightly oil a deep 8-1/2 x 11-inch ovenproof dish. Lay a third of the eggplant into the dish, then spread over half the pasta. Add half the cottage cheese, than half the ground beef and a third of the Parmesan. Repeat the layers, then finish with the remaining eggplant slices and Parmesan. Arrange the mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling around the sides. Serve hot.