Slice Eggplant into ½ inch rounds. Sprinkle with sea salt and let rest for 15 minutes. This should draw out some of the bitter flavors. Wipe off the salt and any moisture. Dice the eggplant.
Combine eggplant, diced onion, and a splash of olive oil in a large skillet. Saute for 10 minutes, or until the veggies are cooked down to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, par boil pasta by cooking it for half of the usual cooking time found on the package. Stop the cooking by rinsing pasta under cold water.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, basil, garlic, and red pepper flake.
In a 9x9 inch glass baking dish, spread about ½ cup of marinara across the bottom. Top with half of the pasta, and all of the the eggplant mixture, and the cottage cheese mixture. Layer another ½ cup marinara, the remaining pasta, the remaining marinara, and the smoked mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the the sauce starts to bubble.
Cool 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe by Alison's Allspice at https://www.alisonsallspice.com/eggplant-basil-pasta-bake-with-smoked-mozzarella/