Rigatoni Positano

Restaurants in my area have a nasty habit of discontinuing my favorite dishes. The latest casualty was Buca Di Beppo's Rigatoni Positano. In a fit of despair and, ultimately, defiance, I decided to make my OWN version.

1 16-ounce box of rigatoni
1 large eggplant, cut into 2" by 1/2" pieces
1 jar of Italian sausage spaghetti sauce
2 tablespoons of olive oil
8-10 ounces of fresh mozzarella, cubed
6-10 basil leaves, loosely chopped
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh garlic
1/4 cup of red wine

1. Prepare rigatoni pasta as package indicates. While the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking, follow the remaining steps.
2. In large pan, heat olive oil and then add eggplant. Cook until eggplant is soft and brown. I recommend NOT using a non-stick pan because you want some of those eggplant bits to get browned and crust the bottom of the pan just a little bit.
3. Add garlic and saute with eggplant for a minute.
4. Add the red wine, using it to break up any crusty eggplant bits stuck to the pan.
5. Add spaghetti sauce, blending with the eggplant. Let simmer for a few minutes.
6. In a dutch oven or stock pot (presumably the one you used to cook the pasta in), add the sauce to your drained pasta.
7. Fold in the basil and mozzarella.