Makes 4
Allergens: dairy, gluten
Ingredients
3 tbsp U:ME vegetable and olive oil blend
2 small or 1 large aubergine
2 tbsp table salt
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp chilli flakes
2 tins of tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp sugar
300g rigatoni pasta
1 small handful of basil
Salt and pepper
75g parmesan
Instructions
Dice the aubergine into pieces about 1 cm wide. Place into a colander or sieve and scatter liberally with salt. Place aside and allow the salt to draw out the moisture from the aubergine.
Heat up 1 tbsp U:ME vegetable and olive oil blend and add the onion, cook on a low heat for around 15 minutes until the onion has almost fallen apart and caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute before adding the chilli flakes, tins of tomatoes, tomato puree and sugar. Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
Rinse the aubergine to remove any salt and then pat dry with a kitchen towel. Heat the remaining U:ME vegetable and olive oil blend until it’s shimmering and fry the aubergine until it's browned and beginning to crisp up. Remove from the oil and add to the tomato sauce.
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, stir through the sauce and serve. Scatter over some basil leaves, a liberal amount of shaved parmesan and a generous grating of black pepper.