Pasta With Eggplant Vegan Bolognese

Excerpt from Pamela Salzman’s Quicker Than Quick: 140 Crave-Worthy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Foods in 30 Minutes or Less by Pamela Salzman. Copyright © 2020. Available from Hachette Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

I adapted this recipe from the website of Jovial Foods. Jovial has a range of products, including pastas, tomatoes, and flours, all made with clean, organic ingredients. I use its brown rice here, but you can use your favorite. It’s all about the sauce, anyway: This sauce tastes as though it has been simmering all day on the stove, but in reality, it’s super quick to come together.

INGREDIENTS

1 eggplant, medium-sized, peeled and cubed
8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, caps wiped clean with a paper towel
½ onion, medium, cut into 4 pieces
1 garlic clove
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, unrefined and cold-pressed
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1 (18-ounce) jar tomatoes, crushed
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
Pinch dried oregano
Pinch dried thyme
Pinch dried basil, or a few leaves of fresh basil
Pinch black pepper, freshly ground
12 ounces favorite pasta

DIRECTIONS

Place the eggplant, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in a food processor and pulse to a coarse chop.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the parsley and chopped vegetables.
Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, oregano, thyme, basil, and pepper.
Cook, covered, over medium heat, for 20 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve.

WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE

Eggplants and mushrooms have a hearty, earthy heft to them, making them a great stand-in for the traditional beef, especially in the summer when eggplants are in season and you’re looking for a lighter dish. This is also fabulous on pasta alternatives, such as spaghetti squash.

Photo credit: Amy Neunsinger

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