Baked Pasta with Eggplant, Sausage and Fontina

Our baked pasta was inspired by the classic Sicilian dish known as pasta 'ncasciata, typically served for Sunday lunch and celebratory occasions. While recipes vary, most include short pasta noodles sauced with a meaty ragù and topped with fried eggplant and caciocavallo, a Southern Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow’s or sheep’s milk. Often, cured meats, meatballs and even hard-cooked eggs are added to create a hearty, hefty dish. This recipe is a minimalist version. We throw together an easy ragù with Italian sausage—sweet or hot, it’s up to you—and roast the eggplant instead of frying it. For the cheesy goodness, we layer on fontina and Parmesan, then bake the dish in the oven until the cheese is melted and nicely browned.