Roasting eggplant until completely tender transforms it into an unexpectedly rich pasta sauce. Tossed with garlic, good olive oil, basil, Parmesan and toasted walnuts, this is one of those simple Italian pastas where a handful of ingredients become much more than the sum of their parts.

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Ingredients:

2 Eggplants, sliced in half.

1 lb of Rigatoni

1/4 cup extra-virgin Olive oil

Handful of Basil, chopped 

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp Walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, grated. For a more robust version substitute Dolce Gorgonzola,

Black pepper

Salt

Preparation:

Prepare your eggplant by slicing in half, scoring and brushing with olive oil and salt and pepper. Add your garlic cloves and roast in 400F oven, scored flesh side down for 20-30 minutes. Turn over and allow to cool. 

Scoop out the roasted eggplant and sauté in the 1/4 cup of olive with the other ingredients, except the walnuts and cheese. Its usually takes about 10 minutes to come together.

Prepare your rigatoni al dente, grab a bit of the pasta water, and drain. Return the rigatoni to the pan and finish with enough reserved pasta water and cheese to create a creamy, emulsified sauce. Fold in the walnuts just before serving.