Vegetarian pasta with eggplant and zucchini Bolognese style

May 19, 2014

We spent last weekend at my brother’s house in the countryside, where I cooked this easy vegetarian pasta with my lovely sister in law Alessandra and my wonderful two nieces.

We decided to get inspired by a recipe posted by Luca.

I love this recipe because it reminds me a Bolognese sauce but without the guiltiness of the meat!

NEW! RECIPE FORMAT

INGREDIENTS

Here is what you need for your Italian vegetarian pasta:

2 long black eggplants
1 leek
1 carrot
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 onion
3 zucchini
1 celery
2 cloves of garlic
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 glass of red wine
1 leaf bay
Bush of fresh thyme
Grated parmesan cheese
300 gr of pasta
200 grams of Italian pancetta or bacon (optional)
Salt

DIRECTIONS

Cut every vegetable into small cubes
Chop the thyme
Put in a large nonstick pan 2 tablespoons of olive oil
For the non-vegetarian version just add this steps: Cut bacon into cubes; Put the bacon in the pan and let roast the bacon (around 5 minutes)
Add the vegetables: start with carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes
Add the tomatoes, and proceed with the leek, eggplant, the zucchini and bay leaf
Add salt and the glass of red wine. Put the lid and continue cooking over low heat for about 50 minutes stirring occasionally
Boil the water (1 liter of water every 100 gr of pasta), add the salt only when the water in already boiling (1 tablespoon every liter of water)
Cook the past for half of the cooking time suggested on the package
Put 4 cups of cooking water aside, drain the pasta and put the pasta into the pan with the vegetables
Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the 4 cups of water that we put aside, let the pasta absorb that until is cooked “al dente”
Let it rest for 3 minutes
Serve with a sprinkling of fresh thyme and if you want a little ‘ Parmesan cheese on top
Enjoy your vegetarian pasta and buon appetito from Easy Italian Cuisine!