Tomato Eggplant Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella

I have always wanted to have a good pasta recipe that uses fresh mozzarella.  I got a pretty small eggplant in the CSA box this week and that seemed like the sort of thing that would go well with mozzarella.  Tomatoes also seemed necessary to make some kind of sauce, so I picked up a can of whole tomatoes at the store because that way I could take out the seeds and make a thicker sauce.  The whole thing turned out really well.

Serves 3-4

2 cups penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 very small onion, minced
1 small eggplant, chopped
28 oz can whole tomatoes, drained, seeded, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
Salt to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. In skillet or same saucepan that you cooked the pasta in, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion, cooking until soft and translucent.  Add eggplant and cook until soft and darkened in color.  Pour tomatoes, basil, and garlic salt over eggplant and cook for about 5 minutes more, until tomatoes begin to reduce.
3. Add pasta and mozzarella to sauce in pot.  Stir sauce, pasta, and cheese well until all is combined and cheese just begins to melt.  Season with salt as needed.  Remove pan from heat and serve immediately.