Eggplant, Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta with Mint

This was so unbelievably good - the pictures don't do it justice. I would eat it for a week straight. seriously. This is probably the best meal I have had in weeks - minus that crazily spicy appetizer I had at Char No. 4 that made my lips swell and my eyes tear up and that I think about while I lay in bed. Mmmm. hot.

I AGAIN found this in Real Simple. Shout out of thanks to Nicole for buying that bridal edition this summer which in turn got me a whole year free. The only thing I did differently was I used rigatoni instead of penne - sometimes I get tired of penne and like to change it up. You can use any type of pasta.

Serves 2 with leftovers
Ingredients

-1/2 box/bag of pasta
-olive oil
-1 medium eggplant cut into 1/2 inch pieces
-cherry tomatoes halved. I also used some cocktail tomatoes
-1 clove of sliced garlic
-crushed red pepper
-salt and black pepper
-fresh mozzarella cut into slices
-torn fresh mint leaves

Cook the pasta. While the water is heating up chop the necessary ingredients.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and cook it until golden brown and tender - probably 8 to 10 minutes. Don't let it burn - keep it moving. Do the hustle! Add the tomatoes, garlic, red pepper and salt and pepper. The crushed red pepper gave it excellent heat while eating it, so base how much you add on how hot you like it - that's what she said. Toss all together for about 3 minutes or until pasta is done cooking.

Plate your pasta and add the skillet mixture on top with the mozzarella. Add any olive oil if necessary. Sprinkle the mint on top.