Lemon Pasta with Baked Eggplant and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants
• Salt
• 1 onion
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 400 g diced tomatoes (canned)
• black pepper (ground)
• a pinch sugar
• 100 g grated Parmesan
• 200 g grated mozzarella
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 1 untreated lemon
• 400 g tagliatelle
• varied pepper (ground)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash, trim, and slice the eggplants into ~1 cm thick long strips. Spread on a board, sprinkle with salt, and let them draw out water for about 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Peel and finely chop the onion and one garlic clove for the tomato sauce. Sauté in 2 tbsp hot olive oil until translucent, add tomatoes, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally; add a splash of water if needed. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar.

3. 3.

   Mix grated parmesan with mozzarella.

4. 4.

   Preheat the oven to grill mode.

5. 5.

   Pat eggplant dry, season with salt and pepper, then brown in a pan with rosemary and pressed garlic using 2 tbsp hot oil, turning as needed. Transfer to a parchment-lined tray (with rosemary and garlic) and top thickly with cheese. Broil until cheese melts, about 5-10 minutes.

6. 6.

   Wash lemon, grate zest, and juice. Cook tagliatelle in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well. In a pan, lightly steam the lemon zest in remaining olive oil, add drained pasta, stir in 1-2 tsp lemon juice, and sprinkle with varied pepper.

7. 7.

   Plate pasta topped with baked eggplant slices and sauce.