This aubergine pasta is already delicious but made even better using giant shell pasta. There is something just so fun about using a different pasta shape than usual, it honestly makes the whole dish for me.
This recipe is so simple really, it’s essentially layered up like a lasagne but takes inspiration from the classic American pasta dish of stuffed shells. If you haven’t seen it before, each giant pasta shell is stuffed with a ricotta mixture and then baked. I never have the energy to stuff each individual shell but this recipe gives you the same flavours but it’s much less fussy.
The tomato sauce is the same sauce as a “pasta alla norma” which is just fresh tomatoes, aubergine and basil. Instead of a béchamel sauce (aka white sauce), I just use ricotta mixed with double cream. The double cream loosens the ricotta but also stops it from going grainy in the oven which can sometimes happen. Then more fresh mozzarella and parmesan is layered within. Baked together and it truly is divine.
Other recipes you might like
Green Gnocchi with Buttery Herby Sauce
Cheesy Tomato Baked Gnocchi with Fresh Basil and Mozzarella
Crispy Fried Gnocchi with Sage and Parmesan
Easy Cheat’s Lasagne
Gnocchi Alla Norma (Tomato Aubergine Gnocchi)
Ricotta and Aubergine Pasta with Giant Shells
Aubergine, tomato, creamy ricotta, giant shells, mozzarella. Nothing more comforting and a great way to eat giant shell without individually stuffing each shell.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine
- 1 red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 500g cherry tomatoes
- 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 500g ricotta
- 200ml double cream
- 500g giant shell pasta
- 400g mozzarella (the low moisture mozzarella works well here)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- Parmesan
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Cube the aubergine and heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add a generous amount of oil and add the aubergine. You want enough oil to get a good colour and for it to be tasty but not so it’s waterlogged. Chop the onion and add to the pan of aubergine. Fry until soft, followed by the crushed garlic.
- Add cherry tomatoes, a tin of tomatoes and then fill half the tin up with water and add back to the pan. Cook for another few minutes on high heat until the tomatoes start to burst and disintegrate. Smash them with the back of a spoon to encourage them to burst, adding more water if needed.
- Season well with salt and pepper and add a splash of balsamic. Keep bubbling gently until a lovely sauce forms. Heat the oven to 200c.
- Get your pasta on to boil but drain it around 3 minutes before it’s done. It will continue cooking when you bake it. Meanwhile, mix together the ricotta and double cream in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Like you would for a lasagne, you’re going to layer the dish up. Add a layer of tomato sauce, a layer of pasta, some white sauce and then a few slices of mozzarella and a good grating of parm. Repeat this again to fill the dish!
- Cover the top with mozzarella and parm, bake at 200c for 20 minutes until the top is golden and crisp. Serve with fresh basil on top.
Notes
Make sure you cook the pasta for less than the instructions say as it continues cooking in the oven.
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