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.