A lazy dinner...

... with aubergines.
I tried to warn you about my aubergine-obsession....

Sometimes a simple, but still nice pasta dish is all you need. For me, pasta has - and probably always will be- a comfort food. Pretty high on the list are Lasagne and Bolognese. Both of these dishes take quite a while to prepare and cook, at least if you attempt to do them correctly. (Yes there is a correct way of cooking a Bolognese... and it takes time. A lot of it.)

Naturally, I am in love with pasta sauces that take not much longer to cook than it takes to boil the pasta.

So here is my newest addition to the comfort-pasta list:

Aubergine-Tomato-Feta-Pasta

(Maybe I should try to come up with nicer names for the recipes)

Ingredients:

• aubergine, diced
• garlic, 2 cloves, diced
• tomatoes, diced... or if you feel like taking the quicker route: canned
• fresh basil, slightly cut
• feta, as much as you like, crumbled
• olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano
• pasta ;)

Prepare the vegetables, cut the basil and crumble the feta. Yes, very straight forward...

Boil the water in a large pot. (There of course is the neat opportunity to use an electric kettle...) Add salt and the pasta. I used tortiglioni. Check the time they need to cook, and set a timer if you need to. There is nothing worse than overcooked pasta...

Fry the aubergine in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. After 2-3 minutes add the garlic and stir a little. Keep the aubergines on medium heat until they turn buttery soft. This takes a little while and you might need to add olive oil a couple of times... just be patient.

Now pour in the canned tomatoes and increase the heat slightly. (If you choose to use fresh tomatoes add them to the aubergines 2-3 minutes after the garlic. 5 minutes after that add a little water and increase the heat)

As soon as your sauce starts to boil (just slightly) season with salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika to taste.

Check your pasta. If it is almost done add feta to your sauce and stir gently.

Take a large spoon and transfer some of the pasta water into your sauce pan and add the basil.

Drain your pasta and stir it into your sauce...

Bon Appétit