If you cross eggplant Parmigiana with baked ziti, you'd wind up with pasta ’ncasciata, a Sicilian baked maccheroni preparation comprises fried eggplant, ragù, and caciocavallo cheese. This particular version hails from the city of Messina, which sits on the northeast part of the island and has the closest proximity to mainland Italy. 

A single layer of pasta with fried eggplant
Unlike most baked pasta dishes, pasta ’ncasciata is made with just one layer. The pasta is cooked as normal in salted water and then baked in the oven to form a crispy crust. It's topped with fried eggplant – if it’s fried the day before, even better.