How to make aubergine, mozzarella and tomato pasta bake

Serves 2

1 aubergine
1 garlic clove
150g tortiglioni pasta
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 vegetable stock cube
40g mature cheddar
125g mozzarella
125g cherry tomatoes
10g basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
15ml balsamic vinegar
Olive oil, pepper, salt, and sugar

Preheat the oven to 220C. Cut the aubergine into small bitesized pieces. Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably an ovenproof casserole dish) with a generous drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped aubergine with a pinch of salt and cook for 5-6 min or until softened.

Boil a kettle. Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic. Dissolve the vegetable stock cube in 100ml boiled water. Add the pasta to a pot of boiled water with a large pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat. Cook for 8-10 min or until cooked with a slight bite. Once done, drain the tortiglioni and reserve a cup of the starchy cooking water.

Once the aubergine has softened, add the chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar, tomato pasta, dried oregano and a pinch of sugar and cook for 1 min. Add the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock and cook for 5-6 min further or until starting to thicken. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and grate the cheddar. Drain the mozzarella and cut into slices.

Once the tomato sauce has thickened, stir in the drained pasta and chopped cherry tomatoes. Tip: if it looks a little dry, add a splash of the starchy cooking water.

Top the pasta with the basil, cheddar and mozzarella. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of pepper. Put the pan in the oven for 15-20 min or until the cheese is melted and golden. If you don’t have an ovenproof pan, transfer to an ovenproof dish instead.

Recipe from Gousto.co.uk