Aubergine and Mozzarella Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small red onion (you can use a white one, but I prefer red in this recipe)
• 1 medium aubergine (chopped into 1cm cubes)
• 1 clove of garlic (crushed or finely diced)
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 300 g penne pasta (you could make this with any shape, but I like it best with penne)
• A small handful of basil leaves (roughly torn)
• 150 g ball mozzarella (chopped roughly)

Instructions

1. 1

   Put a the olive oil in the base of a wide, deep pan. Add the chopped red onion and put the lid on. Sweat the onion on a low heat until it is translucent, but not brown - about 5 minutes. Meanwhile you can chop the other veggies.

2. 2

   Turn the heat up high and add the aubergine. Stir-fry until the aubergine is nicely browned, (you may need to add a splash more oil), then turn down the heat and add the crushed garlic and fry for 1 more minute.

3. 3

   Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper, then bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally.

4. 4

   While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions / your own preferences.

5. 5

   Drain the pasta and tip it into the sauce, stirring thoroughly to coat the pasta in the sauce. You may want to add a drop or two of the pasta cooking water to make the sauce looser.

6. 6

   Finally, add the basil leaves and mozzarella and stir again. There should be just enough heat in the pan to warm and slightly soften the mozzarella. Yum!