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Beef Bolognese with eggplant

3
Points®
Total Time
35 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Serves
1
Difficulty
Easy
Bolognese refers to foods prepared in the cooking style of Bologna, Italy. Bolognese sauce is a traditional meat sauce for pasta made by cooking ground meat—often a mix of several kinds—with aromatics like onions and garlic and tomatoes. This version combines lean ground beef with meaty eggplant for a welcome serving of vegetables in the sauce. Sometimes eggplant can be a little bitter. Remedy this by salting it after chopping and letting it sit for about 20 minutes in a colander. Rinse it and pat it dry on paper towels before proceeding with the recipe. This sauce freezes beautifully so make a double batch to enjoy now and freeze for a meal down the road.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 spray(s)

Uncooked 93% lean ground beef

¼ pound(s), (7% fat or less)

Uncooked onion

¼ cup(s), chopped

Garlic

1 clove(s), minced

Uncooked eggplant

½ small, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)

Canned tomato sauce

½ cup(s)

Table salt

1 pinch(es)

Black pepper

⅛ tsp

Fresh basil

2 Tbsp, chopped, fresh

Uncooked whole wheat pasta

1 oz, about 1/3 cup, rigatoni variety

Grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp

Instructions

  1. Spray medium skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic and cook, breaking up beef with wooden spoon, until beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant, tomato sauce, 3 tbsp water, salt, and black pepper. Cover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in basil.
  2. Meanwhile, cook rigatoni according to package directions. Drain well.
  3. Transfer rigatoni to serving bowl. Top with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan.
  4. Serving size: 2/3 cup pasta and 1 1/2 cups sauce

Notes

If you've got leftover eggplant, wrap it securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. You can substitute regular Italian eggplant for the Japanese eggplant called for in this recipe.

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