Chef T's Eggplant Balls + Rigatoni Al Forno (or Baked Ziti)

 Chef T original. Thanks to Ottolenghi for the eggplant bowl inspiration

Eggplant Balls (makes twice as much as you need, and also makes a mean sandwich filler)

2-3 eggplants cubed and roasted till super soft and sweet

12 oz to 1lb fake meat

Bread crumbs

Parmesan or Romano

Egg

Herbs, if you like

Could mess around with things like anchovies, if you like

Tomato Sauce

Lots of olive oil, lots of garlic, 28 oz can tomato puree, lots of oregano, maybe basil if you like, salt, pepper, a little red pepper flakes, smoked paprika if you are feeling like an Italian heretic, and a tsp of sugar.

Mozzarella Cheesy Goodness

1 lb mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Ricotta Cheesy Goodness

15oz ricotta

7 oz creme fraiche

zest of some nutmeg

Pasta

1 lb rigatoni or ziti, par-boiled for 5 minutes in salted water, drained

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. In a large sided 9 x 13 pan, cover bottom with a thin layer of marina sauce. 

3. Somehow, fit the par-boiled pasta, mozzarella, most of the ricotta mixture, eggplant balls, and marinara sauce into the casserole dish. Top off with a little more sauce and then with globs of the ricotta mixture.

4. Bake until done, at least 30 minutes but maybe longer. Experiment with cover and not covering with foil, but definitely have some significant time without foil.