Tomato and Eggplant Pasta with Turkey
Eggplant and ground turkey simmer in a tomato sauce for a hearty and healthy pasta meal. Excellent paired with a good glass of Merlot.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb eggplant — 1 large or 2 medium/small
- salt
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
- ¼ tsp ground fennel
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 lb short pasta such as elbows, preferably whole wheat
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into a medium dice. Place eggplant in strainer, and sprinkle salt over the eggplant, tossing gently so all the eggplant is coated with salt. Put a bowl on top of the eggplant to gently press down without crushing the eggplant. After 20 minutes of salting the eggplant, blot it dry with a paper towel to remove salt and excess moisture.
- Add 5 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium until it begins to shimmer. Add the eggplant in a single layer and cook for 5 minutes undisturbed. Stir, and continue to cook the eggplant for about 8 more minutes, stirring occasionally. When the eggplant has browned, remove it with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the final tablespoon olive oil to the skillet, and heat on medium. Add the onion, cook for 5 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, cook for another minutes.
- Add the turkey to the skillet, breaking it up with a heavy spoon. Stir it to combine with the onions. Cook until it begins to turn white, about 5 minutes.
- Stir the tomatoes into the skillet, followed by the eggplant. Add the fennel, rosemary and balsamic vinegar, stir to combine.
- Simmer the sauce on medium low, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, as the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta when cooked, and toss immediately with the pasta. Enjoy with a glass of Merlot or an Italian red wine.
Notes
- We made this with ground turkey, but you could substitute leftover turkey instead.
Find it online: https://cookingchatfood.com/tomato-eggplant-pasta-turkey/
