Easy 90 min

Ziti and Eggplant

asian european french greek italian mediterranean middle eastern middle eastern region thai turkish main bread side sweet savory umami medium fast

Prep

27 min

Cook

63 min

Total

90 min

Ingredients (13)

2 tablespoons olive oil g

1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes g

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes g

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil g

ground black pepper to taste g

1 ¼ teaspoons white sugar (Optional) g

1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red pepper, drained and cut into strips g

1 (16 ounce) package dry ziti pasta g

3 pita bread rounds g

2 tablespoons butter g

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese or to taste g

sweet paprika to taste g

salt and pepper to taste g

Nutrition

kcal

fat

carbs

protein

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the eggplant about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, pepper, and sugar. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Mix the roasted red peppers into the skillet with the eggplant mixture. Continue cooking until eggplant is the consistency of the rest of the sauce.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place ziti pasta in the pot, cook 9 to 11 minutes, until al dente, and drain. Serve the eggplant and tomato sauce over the cooked ziti.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Open pitas and evenly spread insides with butter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and season with paprika, salt and pepper. I like to make a light sprinkling of paprika across each piece. Heat pitas in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Use to scoop up eggplant sauce, or eat separately.