Eggplant Bolognese

Every Day Food  2007

Serves 8

Prep time: 20 minutes; Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 zucchini (about 8 oz), quartered lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick crosswise
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • coarse salt and ground pepper
  • ½ to 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 pound of any short tubular pasta

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or large (5-quart) saucepan, heat 6 tablespoons oil over medium-high.  Add eggplant; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

2. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pan; reduce heat to medium.  Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, 7 to 10 minutes.

3. In a frying pan, add beef; cook, stirring and breaking up meat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Add to vegetable mixture.

 

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Meanwhile, add tomatoes, oregano, and eggplant; season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick and eggplant is tender, about 25 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

 

5. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions.  Drain; serve topped with sauce.

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