Preheat and boil: Set your oven to 190°C (375°F). Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the ziti and cook for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions suggest — you want it firm to the bite, as it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the starchy cooking water, and set aside.

Sweat the aromatics: While the pasta boils, heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it turns translucent and glossy, releasing a sweet, mellow aroma.

Cook the vegetables: Tip in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant. Add the cubed eggplant and zucchini. Stir well to coat everything in the oil. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring every so often, until the vegetables soften and begin to brown at the edges. You will see the eggplant turn from pale white to a golden, honeyed colour, and the zucchini will become tender and slightly translucent.

Build the sauce: Pour in the tinned chopped tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away for 5-7 minutes, until it thickens slightly and the colour deepens to a rich, rusty red. The smell at this point is pure comfort — earthy, herbal, and deeply savoury.

Combine everything: Tip the drained pasta into the pan with the sauce. Add the ricotta cheese in spoonfuls, then gently fold everything together until the ricotta is mostly incorporated, leaving a few small white streaks throughout the pinkish sauce. If the mixture looks too dry, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.

Layer and bake: Transfer the entire mixture into your 9x13 inch baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top, covering every bit of pasta. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is bubbling vigorously around the edges and the cheese has turned a deep, golden brown with darker patches in places. The sound of the bubbling sauce is a good cue that it is nearly done.

Rest and serve: Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes. This rest is crucial — it allows the sauce to settle and the cheese to set slightly, so your slices hold their shape when served.