Vegetarian Baked Eggplant Pasta Anelletti

This baked eggplant pasta (Anelletti al forno) is another classic Sicilian recipe where eggplant is the main ingredient. The baked pasta is wrapped in grilled eggplants, it is traditionally made with Anelletti pasta (also called Anelli Siciliani) mixed with eggplants and tomato sauce. It is filled with scamorza or caciocavallo, and seasoned with ricotta salata. It is perfect for a dinner party and a vegetarian main dish as it can be prepared ahead of time. It presents so well that you will not need any central table decoration.

Baked pasta, also called Timbal, is a half-cooked pasta combined with different ingredients and finished cooked in the oven.

It is very practical for a dinner party or buffet as it can be made ahead and baked just before serving.

Baked pasta can use different pasta shapes mixed with many sauces. Anelletti are typically used in Sicily and are specifically made to hold firm "Al Dente".

They look like SpaghettiOs, but they are NOT!

I love the vegetarian version with eggplants, this is what I am publishing today. While some recipes fry the eggplants, I prefer grilling them as it is much healthier.

If you want to try a version with meat, I recommend the recipe from my friend blogger Jacqui from The Pasta Project: Baked Anelletti from Palermo.

Jacqui also has a fun recipe for Anelletti cooked inside an eggplant, and I will certainly try it: Baked Sicilian Anelletti Pasta in Eggplant Boats.

If you want to try a gluten-free vegetarian Timbal also made with eggplants, you can find my delicious Rice Timbal with Eggplants.

For more appetizers with eggplants, check out the story: 15 Authentic Italian Eggplant Recipes

Ingredients

For the eggplant pasta, you need:

• 4 long or round eggplants: make sure the eggplants do not have too many seeds.
• 1 lb - 500 gr of Anelletti pasta (Rummo or Garofalo)
• 2 cups of tomato sauce (Mutti)
• 2 peeled garlic cloves
• 10 basil leaves
• 8 oz - 400 gr scamorza or provola or mozzarella
• 4 oz - 200 gr of ricotta salata or pecorino or parmesan
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• breadcrumbs for coating

Instructions

Grilling the eggplants

1. Peel the eggplants and cut them into slices length wide
2. Slightly brush a frying pan with olive oil
3. Grill the eggplants turning them on each side
4. They do not need to be completely cooked as they will bake in the oven

Preparing the Anelletti

1. Cook the Anelletti in boiling water, but only half of the time written in the package
2. In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce by stir-frying two garlic cloves and removing them once brown.
3. Add the tomato sauce and simmer it with the basil leaves and 1 teaspoon of salt
4. Drain the Anelletti
5. Mix them with a few spoons of tomato sauce immediately
6. Season them with grated Ricotta Salata, or Pecorino, or Parmesan

Prepare the baking pan

7. Prepare the baking pan by coating the base and the edges with olive oil
8. Coat the base and the edges of the pan with the eggplant slices and sprinkle with salt
9. Cut the remaining eggplants into chunks and add them to the remaining tomato sauce
10. Mix half of the sauce with the Anelletti and leave the rest for serving at the end

Putting it all together and baking it

11. Pour the Anelletti over the eggplant layer inside the baking pan, but only halfway.
12. Lay chunks of scamorza or mozzarella cheese in the middle of the ring
13. Cover with the remaining Anelletti
14. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs
15. Bake in a hot oven at 350 F - 180C for 30 minutes

Placing it on a serving dish

1. Once it is ready, wait at least 10 minutes before turning over a serving dish
2. With a knife, loosen up the edges of the Timbal from the side of the pan
3. Place the serving dish on top
4. Turn the dish and the pan around
5. Remove the pan
6. Fill the hole with the leftover tomato sauce
7. Decorate with some basil leaves

How to serve it

Because you can prepare all the ingredients the day before, baked eggplant pasta is perfect for a dinner party or a buffet.

Compose the dish in the pan and bake it 40 minutes before serving it

It can be served as a main with a salad on the side for a vegetarian meal or as a primo piatto for a lavish banquet.

Equipment

To grill the eggplants, you need a skillet pan, or a frying pan, a brush, or some kitchen paper to season the pan.

To boil the Anelletti, you will need a large pasta pan (3 quarters).

To easily remove the Timbal from the pan, you will need either a tin with a removable base or a round tin with a hole in the middle (10in - 25 cm diameter).

If you are using a tin with the hole, you can fill the middle with additional eggplant sauce to make a nice presentation.

Ingredients substitute

This recipe is usually made using Sicilian cheese: ricotta salata, caciocavallo or scamorza. Since these cheeses are not easy to find in every country, you can replace them with mozzarella and parmesan.

Anelletti pasta is also not easy to find so you can use other short pasta like pennette, pipe, or wheel.

Whatever pasta shape you want, I recommend using an Italian brand.

The secret to this baked pasta is that it stays firm al dente while other brands may turn into a mushy mess (if you know what I mean).

Top tips

• Make sure the eggplants do not have too many seeds
• Whatever pasta shape you use, I recommend buying an Italian brand. The secret to this baked pasta is that it stays firm al dente while other brands may turn into a mushy mess (if you know what I mean).
• When you boil the pasta, cook it for only half of the time written in the package.
• You can prepare all the ingredients, compose the Timbal the day before, and bake it before serving.
• Wait at least 10 minutes before turning over a serving dish

More recipes with eggplants

Vegan eggplant recipes

• Grilled zucchini eggplants and peppers
• Aubergine caviar
• Sicilian Caponata Recipe

Healthy eggplant recipes

• Easy Ratatouille Recipe Baked
• Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
• Vegetarian Rice Timbale with Grilled Eggplants Recipe

Fried eggplant recipes

• Deep Fried Eggplant Balls
• Eggplant Milanese
• Pizza with Fresh Vegetables
• Traditional Pasta Alla Norma with Eggplants
• Pasta with Swordfish Ragu and Eggplants

If you are making this baked eggplant pasta Anelletti, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.

📋 Baked Eggplant Pasta Anelletti

5 from 7 votes

Laura Tobin

Servings 8 people

Prep Time 28 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 28 minutes mins

Print Recipe Save Saved! Pin Recipe

This eggplant pasta is another classic Sicilian recipe where the eggplant is often the main ingredient of many dishes. Traditionally it is made with Anelletti and filled with scamorza or caciocavallo, it is perfect for a dinner party and a vegetarian main dish, it can be prepared ahead.

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Equipment

• All-Clad Fry Pan
• Pasta pan 8-Quart 3-Piece
• Cutting board set
• Round pan with hole in middle 10 in

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1 lb anelletti pasta substitute with pipe, pennette or wheels
• ▢ 4 eggplants
• ▢ 2 cups homemade tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 cloves peeled garlic cloves
• ▢ 10 fresh basil leaves
• ▢ 8 oz scamorza or mozzarella
• ▢ 4 oz ricotta salata or pecorino or Parmesan
• ▢ 6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ⅓ cup breadcrumbs for coating
• ▢ salt

Instructions

 

Grilling the eggplants

• Peel the eggplants and cut them into slices length wide
  4 eggplants
• Slightly brush a frying pan with olive oil
  6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Grill the eggplants turning them on each side
• They do not need to be completely cooked as they will bake in the oven

Preparing the Anelletti

• Cook the Anelletti in boiling water, but only half of the time written in the package
  1 lb anelletti pasta
• In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce by stir-frying two garlic cloves and removing them once brown
  1 cloves peeled garlic cloves
• Add the tomato sauce and simmer it with the basil leaves and 1 teaspoon of salt
  2 cups homemade tomato sauce, 10 fresh basil leaves, salt
• Drain the Anelletti
• Mix them with a few spoons of tomato sauce immediately
• Season them with grated Ricotta Salata, or Pecorino, or Parmesan
  4 oz ricotta salata or pecorino or Parmesan

Prepare the baking pan

• Prepare the baking pan by coating the base and the edges with olive oil
  6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Coat the base and the edges of the pan with the eggplant slices and sprinkle with salt
  salt
• Cut the remaining eggplants into chunks and add them to the remaining tomato sauce
• Mix half of the sauce with the Anelletti and leave the rest for serving at the end

Putting it all together

• Pour the Anelletti over the eggplant layer inside the baking pan, but only halfway
• Lay chunks of scamorza or mozzarella cheese in the middle of the ring
  8 oz scamorza or mozzarella
• Cover with the remaining Anelletti
• Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs
  ⅓ cup breadcrumbs for coating
• Bake in a hot oven at 350 F - 180C for 30 minutes

Placing it on a serving dish

• Once it is ready, wait at least 10 minutes before turning over a serving dish
• With a knife, loosen up the edges of the Timbal from the side of the pan
• Place the serving dish on top
• Turn the dish and the pan around
• Remove the pan
• Fill the hole with the leftover tomato sauce
• Decorate with some basil leaves and serve warm

Video

Notes

• This recipe is usually made using Sicilian cheese: ricotta salata, caciocavallo or scamorza. Since these cheeses are not easy to find in every country you can replace them with mozzarella and parmesan.
• Anelletti is also not easy to find, so you can use other pasta like pennette, pipe or wheel. Whatever pasta shape you want, I recommend using an Italian brand. The secret to this baked pasta is that it stays firm al dente while other brands may turn into a mushy mess (if you know what I mean).
• When you boil the pasta, cook it for only half of the time written in the package
• You can prepare all the ingredients and compose the Timbal the day before and bake it before serving
• Make sure the eggplants do not have too many seeds
• Wait at least 10 minutes before turning over a serving dish

Nutrition

Calories: 484kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 18gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 569mgPotassium: 866mgFiber: 10gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 491IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 255mgIron: 2mg

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