Baked Pasta with Tomatoes & Eggplant

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Make sure your oven is clean!) Place three (6-inch) gratin dishes on a sheet pan and set aside.

Boil a large pot of water, add a tablespoon of salt, and add the pasta. If you’re using one type of pasta, cook it for 1 to 2 minutes less than the directions on the package. If you’re using two kinds of pasta, start with the one that cooks longest and add the second later so they finish at the same time. You want the pasta to be quite al dente. Drain.

Pour the soup into a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, the mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper and toss well. Divide the mixture evenly among the three gratin dishes, dot the tops with the butter, and bake for 10 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the pasta begins to brown. Sprinkle each dish with 1 tablespoon of the remaining Parmesan, bake for another 4 minutes, and serve hot.

Click here for the recipe for Tomato & Eggplant Soup.