Today I present this very simple and quick recipe, thanks to the help of the Air Fryer which makes it lighter but still tasty: Rigatoni with Eggplant and Ricotta, an excellent combination of flavors and an ideal choice for those who want to eat healthily without sacrificing taste.
To prepare this first course, I chose rigatoni, which can be replaced with other pasta shapes like mezze maniche or penne, and cow’s milk ricotta, which can be substituted with sheep’s milk ricotta for a slightly stronger flavor. To make it more delicious and stringy, I added cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Rigatoni with Eggplant and Ricotta in Air Fryer is a dish you can serve for both lunch and dinner.
In Air Fryer you can prepare many quick and tasty first courses, like these Casarecce with Feta, Cherry Tomatoes, and Olives in Air Fryer
Also check out these recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Air Fry
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
Ingredients for 4 servings of rigatoni with eggplant and ricotta in air fryer
- 1 round eggplant (large)
- 1 white onion (or yellow)
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 250 g ricotta (cow's milk or sheep's milk)
- 30 g Grana Padano cheese, grated
- 40 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- A few leaves basil
- salt and pepper
- 1 espresso cup pasta cooking water
- 300 g rigatoni
- 130 g latteria cheese (or Asiago)
- to taste Grana Padano cheese, grated
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
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Tools
What you need to prepare rigatoni with eggplant and ricotta
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Pot
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Colander
- 1 Baking Tray 24 cm
- 1 Air Fryer
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Steps
Peel the onion and let it brown with a drizzle of oil. You can do this step either with the air fry function at 320°F/338°F for a few minutes, being careful not to burn it, or in a small pan
Program Sear/Saute at 3 for a couple of minutes
Meanwhile, wash, dry and cut the eggplant into chunks not too small
Remove the tray with the ready onion
Add the eggplants and olive oil and mix well
Place the tray back in the fryer and cook at 356°F for 22 minutes, stirring a couple of times during cooking
Once the eggplants are ready, you can salt them
Prepare the pasta, place the pot on the stove with salted water, set aside a small cup of cooking water that will be used for the ricotta cream. Drain the rigatoni a couple of minutes before, compared to the times indicated on the package
While the pasta is cooking, in a bowl combine ricotta, Grana, salt, pepper and torn basil leaves
Mix well
On a cutting board, roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes with a knife
Add them to the ricotta
Mix again
Add the rigatoni cooking water you set aside, mix
Drain the pasta, add it to the ricotta cream, and blend
Add the eggplants you set aside and the cubed cheese, blending well
Transfer to a slightly oiled baking tray, sprinkle with Grana Padano and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil over the surface
Cook in air fryer at 356°F for 15 minutes
The rigatoni with eggplant and ricotta are ready to be served! Bon appétit
