Baked Orzo with Eggplant and Mozzarella

Can you believe it's almost December? I definitely can't. I feel like I just got back from China last month, and that school just started. Nevertheless, I will gladly welcome December, as that means more time for cooking and baking, blogging, and eating!

Anyhoo, I made this baked orzo weeks ago, and it was stellar. It also reheated beautifully. I have never really had great success with eggplant in my cooking, so I was incredibly pleased that it turned out this time. Loaded with veggies, this pasta is flavorful, filling, and satisfying.

Ingredients

1 large (1-1 1/4 lbs) eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch dice

Salt and black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 celery stalk, in a 1/4-inch dice

1 medium onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, rinsed

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 to 3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped. If using dried oregano, use half as much.

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest or more to taste, up to the zest of a whole lemon, or you can use 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 ounces mozzarella, firmer is better here, cut into 1/3-inch dice.*

1 1/2 ounces (a generous 1/2 cup) Parmesan, grated

3 medium tomatoes, diced

Directions

Sprinkle your eggplant generously with salt and let it drain in a colander for 30 minutes. During this time, prep the remaining ingredients. After 30 minutes, rinse it well and pat it dry with paper towels.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Heat a large frying pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil and once the oil is shimmering, add the eggplant. Fry for 8 minutes, stirring pieces occasionally. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer them to paper towels to drain. Add celery and carrots to remaining oil and cook for 3 minutes before adding onion and garlic. Cook together for 5 more minutes on medium heat. Stir in the orzo and tomato paste and cook for two minutes more. Remove from heat. Add the oregano, mozzarella, parmesan, tomatoes, fried eggplant, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon table salt, many grinds of black pepper and the stock and mix well.

Transfer mixture to an 8×11-inch (about 2 quarts) ovenproof baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, then bake 20 minutes without the foil. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*I used grated mozzarella, without any problems.

Recipe Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen