Baked Fusilli with Eggplants and Tomato, a truly delicious first course that everyone always loves. The great thing about this dish is that it can be prepared well in advance, as it keeps raw in the fridge for at least two or three days. It can also be frozen both raw and cooked. This is a recipe that at first glance may seem difficult, but I assure you it is not. You just need to have time available because the procedure involves various steps. So don’t be scared, get to work right away.
If you like baked pasta, don’t miss the next recipes:
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6/8 people
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 14 oz fusilli
- 1 red onion
- 21 oz eggplant
- 28 oz tomato pulp
- 5 oz mortadella
- 1 1/4 cups bechamel
- 3 1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
- 1 Pan non-stick with high edges
- 1 Baking Dish
Preparation
Immediately chop the onion and eggplant into small pieces. Pour everything into a non-stick pan with high edges along with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Adjust for salt, stir, let it brown for a few minutes, and finally add the tomato (add only the water needed to clean the jar). Cook until the eggplants have softened and the sauce has thickened.
In the meantime, boil the pasta, draining it very al dente, and immediately cool it under cold running water. This will stop the cooking process. Once completely cooled, pour it into a large bowl and add a tablespoon of oil to prevent it from sticking. At this point, coarsely chop the mortadella.
Now all that’s left is to dress our fusilli with the eggplant sauce, chopped mortadella, bechamel (reserving a few tablespoons), and grated Parmesan cheese.
After mixing all the ingredients well, place the pasta inside a previously oiled baking dish with the last tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Then distribute the remaining bechamel on the surface and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F and cook for about 30 minutes, or until a golden crust has formed.
Serve our Baked Fusilli with Eggplants and Tomato immediately, piping hot.
Tips
To make this baked pasta richer, you can add some melting cheese. I don’t recommend mozzarella unless it’s well-drained, as it releases too much water.
We can store it in the fridge, both raw and cooked, for about three days but covered.
If we want to prepare in advance for an event, or if there are leftovers, we can freeze it and also in this case either raw or cooked. However, remember to thaw in the fridge and never at room temperature to avoid potentially very serious food poisoning.
