Oven-baked tortellini with aubergines
I’ve often looked for creative ways to cook tortellini. I mean, how do you improve a dish that is already complete in itself? You boil, drain and serve. But tortellini are absolutely fantastic when baked in the oven, too! I chose to combine them with aubergines and cherry tomatoes because I’m a devoted fan of the aroma and flavour of roasted aubergine. This dish takes just one hour to prepare and is rich,fragrant, cheesy and simply wonderful.
Ingredients
For the roasted vegetables
- 2 medium-to-large aubergines cut into approximately 2 cm cubes
- 15 cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tortellini
- 500 g ready-made cheese-filled tortellini
- 2 Τbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ cup white wine
- 200 ml tomato passata
- 2 Τbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 5 –6 fresh basil leaves
- 2 Τbsp double cream
- 1 cup grated mozzarella
- 4 Τbsp grated Parmesan
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Arrange the aubergines and cherry tomatoes, with their cut sides facing up, on a baking tray. Mix the olive oil with the garlic and drizzle over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, stirring once, until the aubergines are cooked and tender.
- Cook the tortellini in a large pot of plenty of salted boiling water, following the packet instructions. Drain, reserving ⅓ cup of the cooking water.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic. Sauté, stirring, for 30 seconds, then pour in the white wine. Allow it to simmer for about 2 minutes, until the alcohol evaporates.
- Add the tomato passata, tomato paste, sugar and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1–2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the cream and remove from the heat.
- Transfer the cooked tortellini to a rectangular ovenproof dish. Add the tomato sauce, roasted aubergines and cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and ⅓ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Mix well to combine all the ingredients.
- Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheeses have melted.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!