Mama T's Baked Ziti with Eggplant

(Courtesy of The Chew)

Ingredients:
1 eggplant
1 c. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb. ziti
1 lb. mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Pecorino Romano cheese
MARINARA SAUCE
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cans (28 oz.) San Marzano whole tomatoes, crushed
Fresh basil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Cut the eggplant into rounds about 1/2 inch thick dice.  Saute in olive oil until golden brow, about 2-3 minutes.

For marinara sauce: in a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 90 seconds.  Add the crushed tomatoes and season generously with salt and pepper.  Cook and reduce slightly for about a half hour.  Top with fresh basil

For assembly: preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the ziti to half of the time on the package instructions.  In a bowl, toss together the ziti, mozzarella and half of the marinara sauce.  On the bottom of a casserole, create a bed of the eggplant.  Grate pecorino over the eggplant and then top with half of the sauced ziti mixture.  Grate more pecorino over ziti mixture, then cover with another layer of the eggplant rounds.  Add the remaining sauced ziti mixture.  Cover with the remaining sauce and grate pecorino generously over the top.

Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and melted

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