EGGPLANT PASTA CASSEROLE RECIPES

Steps:

• Arrange eggplant on several layers of heavy-duty paper towels. Sprinkle eggplant with 1 teaspoon kosher salt; let stand 15 minutes. Pat dry with additional paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 450°.
• Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring after 15 minutes. Remove from baking sheet; cool.
• Cook pancetta in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Add onion, oil, and garlic to pan; cook 6 minutes or until onion is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add wine to pan; cook until liquid evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in basil, oregano, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; partially cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in eggplant.
• Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Add pasta and reserved 1/4 cup cooking water to tomato mixture; stir well. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with fontina.
• Place baguette in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 1/2 cups. Add Parmesan to processor; pulse 5 times. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over fontina.
• Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.
• Wine note: With an American take on an Italian dish, why not try an American take on a red Italian wine, like Tamás Estates Sangiovese 2005 ($14), an American wine made from the same grape as Italian Chianti. With its medium body and plentiful acidity, sangiovese is a classic choice with all tomato dishes, and offers tart cherry and sweet vanilla flavors that nicely balance each other. —Jeffery Lindenmuth

Steps:

• Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer pasta to the prepared baking dish.
• Place eggplant slices in a large pot of lightly salted water. Let eggplant soak to help remove some of the bitterness, about 30 minutes. Drain and pat eggplant strips with a paper towel to dry; transfer to a baking sheet. Brush eggplant with about 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with 2 teaspoons garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; saute eggplant until slightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Spread cooked eggplant over pasta.
• Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into the same skillet; saute onion and mushrooms until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Spread onion mixture over eggplant layer.
• Season chicken thighs with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
• Pour remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil into the same skillet; cook chicken until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Arrange chicken on the onion layer.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Pour wine into the skillet, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add water, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and rosemary leaves; cook and stir until sauce is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken to the sauce, cover skillet, decrease heat to low, and simmer while oven preheats, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Arrange chicken atop the onion layer and pour sauce over chicken and vegetables. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, 20 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of chicken should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Sprinkle Parmesan-Romano cheese over chicken.