Penne with eggplant
4 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | ounces | Penne |
| 1 | medium | Eggplant |
| 3 | tablespoons | Olive oil |
| 1 | small | Onion, coarsely chopped |
| ½ | cup | Thin sliced white mushrooms |
| 1½ | cup | Tomato sauce |
| 1 | teaspoon | Dried basil |
| 1 | Dried bay leaf | |
| 1 | teaspoon | Dried oregano |
| ¼ | cup | Dry red wine |
| ½ | cup | Shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (2 oz) |
| Salt to taste | ||
| Pepper to taste | ||
Directions
1. Cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving half cup of the cooking water. Set both penne and water aside.
2. Peel eggplant and cut into ⅓" cubes. In a large, nonstick pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add eggplant and saute 5 minutes, or until browned and translucent. Transfer eggplant to a bowl. Set aside.
3. In the same pan over medium heat, add remaining olive oil and saute onions and mushrooms for 3 minutes, or until onion is transparent and mushrooms are darkish-brown. Stir in cooked eggplant, tomato sauce, basil, bay leaf, oregano and wine.
4. Cook 10 minutes longer, reducing heat if mixture begins to boil. If sauce is too thick, slowly pour in a little reserved water. Remove bay leaf and discard. Stir in penne and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.