Monday, September 24, 2012

Eggplant and Pasta Timballo













 Looking for a way to use up some of that late summer eggplant in a show-stopping presentation? This eggplant timballo fits the bill, and it's much easier to make that you'd think. Imagine the surprise on your guests' faces when you slice into this, unveiling the pasta interior. Some of my blogger friends - Rowena and Marie - have also posted similar recipes and I always find inspiration from them.










For this timballo, I used a one-quart souffle dish that was lightly oiled. I grilled just one large eggplant, spreading a little olive oil on each slice before placing on the grill. Place the pieces with the prettiest grill marks facing the dish, not on the inside since it will be filled with pasta. 








I cooked the pasta - anelli (little rings) in this case - then added some cooked sausage, peas and tomato sauce.








Throw in some parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. I had only about 2 ounces of mozzarella in the fridge, but I recommend using more. It helps to "glue" everything together.






 Blend it all together.




And stuff the dish to the brim.




Fold the eggplant slices over the pasta and bake.




Let it rest at least 15 minutes before flipping and serving - with extra sauce on the side.




Here's a timballo I made last year using a much larger pot. You can see I ran out of eggplants, even though I used three. I baked it this way anyway.










It held together well enough and everyone loved it just the same.






Even though it uses only one pound of pasta, it served a lot of people. That's why I went with the smaller one-quart container you see in the first photo this time, that used only 1/2 pound of pasta. But if you've got a crowd of a dozen people coming, the larger timballo will serve that many people comfortably.



Eggplant Timballo

(for a one-quart souffle dish or similar vessel)

This will serve at least six people easily.

printable recipe here



1 large eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

1/2 pound anelli pasta, or other pasta to your taste

1 pound sausage

1/2 cup peas, cooked

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups to 2 cups tomato sauce



Smear the eggplant slices with oil and grill until cooked through. Oil a one-quart souffle dish or similar vessel and arrange the cooked eggplant slices inside, leaving enough hanging over the side to fold over the pasta when the dish is full.



Remove the casing from the sausage, break into bits and cook in a pan. Boil water and cook the pasta until it's al dente. Drain the pasta and place into a bowl with the cooked sausage, and the rest of the ingredients, using as much tomato sauce as necessary to coat well. Reserve some of the sauce for later. Fill the dish with the pasta, then fold the eggplant slices over, covering the top of the pasta completely. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter, sprinkle with some parmesan cheese, and serve with the extra sauce.


Bookmark and Share

20 comments:

  1. Henry's favorite spaghetti-o's stuffed in my favorite eggplant!!!!! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That looks so amazingly good! Great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful dish! It looks splendid and ever so scrumptious.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow-it's a stunner and looks so delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Eggplant is one of my favorite dish and this combination with extremely very delicious. thanks for sharing this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh, I was really suprised when I discovered the second picture. I did not expect a rain of saucy pasta!! Well done, it looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Awesome recipe! It looks good on the photos!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I was also surprised by all that pasta - clowns in a car - it seems to keep on coming. I have a few Japanese eggplants left. Hmmmm. It's possible.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That is a thing of beauty Linda, and your photos make me want to dive in and scoop up those little O's!

    ReplyDelete
  10. che splendida ricetta tradizionale italiana, complimenti Linda!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looks fabulous! And I bet it'd be a great way to get kids to eat their veggies...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Fantastico il tuo timballo di melanzane, bellissima ed invitante la presentazione. Buona giornata Daniela.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Timballos are so fun...until they fall apart which seems to always happen to me. Yours looks wonderful

    ReplyDelete
  14. Linda, I made one of these a couple of years ago and it was a big hit. Yours looks fab!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a delightful dish! It is a stunner. A pinned stunner.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love the pasta you used in your timballo, Linda! I can never eat enough eggplant --love it!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Bravissima! What a gorgeous timballo, and I bet it tasted great. Nice job, Linda!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This timballo sure does impress me Linda, as you said in your post! I love how the pasta just pours out of it when opened. In response to your question that you left on my blog: I'm going to Bologna, Venice, Modena/Montecreto where my family lives, Florence, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast. We will be gone for two weeks and I am beside myself with excitement! I'm sure you understand having spent so much time over there yourself! You lucky woman!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you for the mention Linda! I only saw this post now. Yours turned out wonderfully delicious! This is one of my favorite Italian pasta dishes.

    ReplyDelete