Pasta ‘al Forno’ with Roasted Aubergine and Mozzarella

Name: Pasta ‘al Forno’ with Roasted Aubergine and Mozzarella
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 Aubergine**; ½ Onion; 2 Garlic Clove; 4 Mature Cheddar Cheese**; 1 Black Olives; 1 Chopped Tomatoes; ½ Dried Oregano; 200 Wheat Penne Pasta; ½ Basil; 1 Mozzarella**; 1 Balsamic Vinegar; 1 Wild Rocket**; 1 Pine Nuts

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There are few things as warmth-inducing as a big, Italian woodfired oven, or the dishes that they produce. ‘Al forno’ describes dishes which have been oven baked and for this hearty recipe, we’ve combined the creaminess of our incredible mozzarella with the delicious saltiness of black olives. The trick here is to pack your pasta nice and tightly into the oven dish and cook it long enough for the mozzarella to melt and hold the pasta together.

Tags:

Veggie

Allergens:

Milk

•Cereals containing gluten

•Sulphites

The quantities provided above are averages only.

Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.

Total45 minutes

Active

DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

serving amount

Aubergine**

Onion

Garlic Clove

Mature Cheddar Cheese**

Black Olives

Chopped Tomatoes

Dried Oregano

200

Wheat Penne Pasta

Basil

Mozzarella**

Balsamic Vinegar

Wild Rocket**

Pine Nuts

Nutritional information

/ per serving

Energy (kcal)874 kcal

Energy (kJ)3657 kJ

Fat33 g

of which saturates13 g

Carbohydrate113 g

Protein43 g

Always refer to the product label for the most accurate ingredient and allergen information.

Utensils

•Baking Tray

•Knife

•Grill Pan

•Pot

•Oven dish

•Strainer

•Bowl

•Plate

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees. Chop the very top and bottom from the aubergine and then cut it in half lengthways. Slice each half lengthways into five pieces then chop it into 2cm cubes. Coat in 1 tbsp of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and roast on a baking tray for 20 mins.

Peel and finely chop half the onion and the garlic. Grate the cheddar. Chop up the olives (removing any stones).

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a nonstick frying pan on medium-low heat. Cook the onion and garlic for around 5 mins, or until soft. Tip: You only want to soften the ingredients, not brown them off.

Boil a large pot of water with ¼ tsp of salt, for your pasta. Add the chopped tomatoes, dried oregano and olives to the onion mixture. Turn the heat to low and slowly cook the sauce until the aubergine is cooked (in the oven). Tip: Once the excess water in the tomatoes has gone and the sauce has thickened, it is ready.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water for about 10 mins or until ‘al dente’. Tip: Pasta is ‘al dente’ when it is cooked through but has a hint of firmness in the middle.Once the aubergine is soft and a little crispy around the edges mix it into the tomato sauce.

Drain the pasta and mix it thoroughly into the sauce. Tear the basil and mozzarella into small pieces and stir through the pasta. Pour the pasta into an ovenproof dish.

Scatter the grated cheddar cheese across the top and put the dish in the hot oven. Cook for around 10-15 mins or until the cheddar is browned off and crispy.

Drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar over the rocket. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and pepper and the pine nuts. Tip: You can brown the pine nuts off by putting them in the oven for 5 mins. Serve a healthy spoonful of your pasta with the rocket salad on the side.