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First!
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Peel eggplant with a butcher knife; don't be afraid to try new veggies, they LOVE you!
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I don't worry about peeling it perfectly.
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I like to leave a bit of the skin on, it looks pretty.
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~ Slice the eggplant into about 1 1/2 inch slices.
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Then, cut slices into quarters.
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Place cut eggplant into large colander a bit at a time sprinkling generously with salt after each layer.
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This extracts the slight bitter taste.
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I fill a bowl or large zip lock bag with water and place it on top of the eggplant to help extract the juices.
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Leave alone for 30-40 minutes.
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~ Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400̊ .
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Cut your cherry tomatoes in half.
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Cut your onion and RBP into pieces as big as the tomatoes.
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~ Place all veggies except eggplant into a large bowl and drizzle with 1 tsp of EVOO, mix to coat (I've found you need to use less oil when you do it this way).
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Put on baking sheet and into oven for 15 minutes.
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Remove, set aside.
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~ Rinse eggplant under cold running water very well to remove salt.
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Put them on a kitchen towel, pat to dry.
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Put eggplant into the same bowl you used for the onion & RBP and drizzle them with a TBSP EVOO, toss to coat.
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Eggplant soaks up oil so don't use too much!
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It doesn't need to look evenly coated.
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~ Spread evenly on baking sheet and cook at 400̊ for 15 minutes.
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Don't crowd your veggies or they will steam and be soggy.
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You want to roast them not steam them.
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~ While eggplant is roasting, boil pasta al dente.
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~ Put all veggies along with cooked pasta into a casserole dish.
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~ Roughly chop and then sprinkle all the herbs onto pasta mix.
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~ Gently toss ingredients around to combine and to coat the dish with oil.
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Drop Ricotta Cheese by spoonfuls onto pasta mix.
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Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
