Meaty Eggplant Pasta Casserole

 I had trouble coming up with a name for this.  It's somewhere between moussaka, lasagna, and pastitsio (a Greek version of lasagna).  The intent of it was to use up half a box of linguine and a cup of ricotta.  I've been looking for the noodles for pastitsio for some time, but I bet I have to go to the small, neighborhood international market and they're closed on the day I usually do my shopping.

A similar recipe on Better Homes and Gardens has you prep the casserole, wrap it, and freeze for up to 4 months.  Defrost overnight and bake to 165º, a bit over an hour.  All the components are pre-cooked in their version.  No egg.  During the winter, it makes sense to keep something non-holiday for days you just don't have time or energy to cook.  You could do that with this recipe by replacing the egg with a bit more yogurt.  The middle layer just won't set up as firm.

I had several dishes out on the counter before choosing the 8x8.  Should have gone with the 9x11, but it's metal and I don't like to make tomato-based dishes in it.  The 9x13 Pyrex would have been too big.  As a result, two ounces of pasta didn't make it into the casserole, and it still almost overflowed the pan.  I'm calling this 6 servings if you have a side salad, or 4 very hearty single-item portions.

*8 oz (half a box) pasta of choice
*1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 large eggplant
1 Tb olive oil
*1/2 C dicd onion
2 C tomato-based pasta sauce of choice
*1 C ricotta cheese
1 egg
*1/2 C yogurt
1 Tb Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
*1/2 C shredded mozzarella
*1/4  C grated parmesan

1.  Start boiling a gallon of water for the pasta and get out a 9x11 glass casserole.

2.  Dice eggplant into about 1" cubes.  The smaller they are, the faster they will cook.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high and add eggplant and onion.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook until eggplant cooks down.  I covered it for about 10 minutes to steam them a bit.  Either way, it's going to take about 20 minutes.  Set aside cooked eggplant and rinse out skillet.  It doesn't have to be perfectly clean.

3.  The pasta water should be boiling by now, so go ahead and start preheating the oven to 375º.  Cook according to package directions, breaking long-strand pasta like spaghetti into two or three segments.  Farfalle or other small pasta shapes can stay as they are.  Drain and rinse when done.

4.  While the pasta is cooking, brown the meat in the skillet you rinsed out.  Cook until no pink is showing, drain off the fat, and cook more until crumbly.  Add 1-1/2 cups of the pasta sauce and turn to coat.  Remove from heat.

5.  Whisk together ricotta, egg, and yogurt.  Stir in Italian seasoning, about 1/2 tsp of salt, and pepper to taste.  Check how much salt is in your pasta sauce.  You could need more or less.

6.  Assembly time.  In bottom of dish, spread half of the eggplant, followed by half of the meat.  Top with half of the pasta, then all of the ricotta sauce.  Repeat eggplant, meat, and pasta.  Drizzle remaining 1/2 C of pasta sauce over the pasta.  Top with shredded mozzarella and parmesan.  Bake at 375º for about 25 minutes, until top is a light golden color and the casserole is boiling for at least 5 minutes (to cook the egg).  Let sit for 10-15 minutes.  The casserole is much easier to cut the next day for leftovers, like a lasagna is.  Carefully scoop out onto plates and serve hot.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :-0