Creamy Eggplant Campanelle

I'm Italian and rarely cook with a recipe. I love to make things up with what I have on hand and this was one of those recipes! It seems like they turn out the best!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large eggplant, cubed
• 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta, dry
• 0.5 (8 ounce) package low-fat cream cheese
• 0.5 cup 1% milk, or as needed
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 0.25 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, or to taste
• 0.25 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps

1. While the pasta is cooking, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large frying pan. Heat over medium heat. Add garlic to hot oil and saute until tender, but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggplant, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until eggplant is tender and browned, about 15 minutes.
2. While the eggplant is cooking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add campanelle and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain.
3. Add cream cheese and 1/2 cup milk to the eggplant; stir to combine. Add more milk if necessary to make a smooth cream sauce. Add sun-dried tomatoes and cook until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Serve eggplant mixture over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.