Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch

Cari and I had set our hearts on making steak burgers using our new KitchenAid meat grinder attachment, but when the skies opened and the rain poured down for most of the day, we decided something that didn’t involve the barbecue would make a lot more sense.

We had remembered the March 2011 issue of Bon Appetit and five indulgent recipes for baked pasta dishes.  After perusing them, we decided on the Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch.  Roast vegetables in the oven, toss them with cooked pasta and a tomato-cream sauce, sprinkle with a dry pesto crumble and a ton of mozzarella, throw it in the oven for half an hour and you are in for a serious treat of a dish.