Eggplant Ragu Pasta

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. Cut eggplants into 1cm thick discs and lay out onto baking trays with baking paper.
3. Sprinkle some salt over eggplants and lightly coat in olive oil. Then place into the oven at 180ºC for 30 mins.
4. Finely dice 1 brown onion, 1 carrot and stalks of celery.
5. Pick leaves of rosemary and thyme off and finely chop.
6. Finely chop the 3 garlic cloves and add the zest of 1 lemon on the copping board too.
7. Place pot with water for pasta on high heat to bring water to the boil. Once to the boil add a pinch of salt and your 500g of San Remo Large Shells and cook as per packet instructions. Once it's finished cooking, strain and run under some cold water to stop it from cooking, to wait for ragu to be ready.
8. Place another pot on low to medium heat on the stove and add in a generous amount of olive oil (approx. 3-4 tablespoons).
9. Add onions in to start sweating down for 1 minute, then add the carrots and celery.
10. After approx. 7 minutes (the veg should be softening up), add in lemon zest, rosemary, thyme and garlic and stir through.
11. Add in 400g of tomatoes to pot and 1L of vegetable stock and stir through.
12. Once eggplant has finished roasting, add into the pot then bring pot up to a high heat. Intermittently stirring your eggplant as it cooks to break apart.
13. After 50 to 70 minutes (when it has turned into a broken down eggplant ragu sauce, and the liquid has reduced), remove from the heat.
14. Pour your sauce over the pasta (this will heat the pasta up enough) and stir through.
15. Serve on a platter, give a squeeze of lemon, place a ball of burrata in the middle and top with some basil leaves.
16. Serve and enjoy with family and friends!