Spaghetti with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Mozzarella

From: The "Pasta" Food and Wine Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs tomatoes, about 4, peeled, seeded and chopped
3/4 lb spaghetti
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the eggplant with 2 Tbsp of the oil, 1/4 tsp of the salt, and a pinch of pepper. Spread the eggplant out on a baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Add the tomatoes, the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain. Toss the pasta with the eggplant, tomato sauce, basil and mozzarella and serve at once.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I, unfortunately, do not keep fresh mozzarella on hand (and couldn't afford to purchase it just for this one recipe), so I used shredded. Trust me - it was marvelous anyway.

What I'll do differently next time:
I halved the recipe because our whole family is not a fan of sauces on spaghetti. Next time I will not cut the recipe in half. It was so good, I wish I had leftovers!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Great new way to use eggplant (I tend to always make eggplant parmesan or baked eggplant chips) and a great way to dress up spaghetti. Absolutely delicious and I would definitely make this again in the future!