Eggplant Beef & Mushroom Pasta Bake
Comforting and tasty, this Eggplant Beef & Mushroom Pasta Bake is loaded with deliciousness and sure to please you and your family…
Ingredients
- 7 tbsp. olive oil, or as needed and divided tips & tricks
- 8 to 9 cups eggplant (1 medium), cubed
- 1 tbsp. ground Himalayan pink salt, or to taste and divided
- 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste and divided (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1 cup white onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup red peppers, chopped
- 1/2 cup yellow peppers, chopped
- 4 cups mushrooms (about 8 large), washed and sliced
- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
- 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning see Recipe
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste tips & tricks
- 1/3 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes Footnote
- 1 can (24 oz.) pasta sauce
- 12 ounces rigatoni pasta, cooked minus 2 minutes
- 2 cups sharp yellow Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
Directions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsp. oil and when it shimmers, add eggplant; season with salt and pepper. Toss it before adding another 2 tbsp. oil. Cook for 1 minute and add 2 more tbsp. oil.
- Sauté the eggplant cubes for 10 minutes until brown and almost done. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add another tbsp. of oil to the skillet. Add onions and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add red and yellow peppers. Sauté all the ingredients for 2 minutes before adding the sliced mushrooms. Stir until blended, add salt and pepper, and sauté the vegetables for 1 minute.
- Cover and cook for 4 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.
- Transfer the ingredients to a large bowl and set aside as well.
- To the same skillet, add ground beef, breaking it into small pieces; season with salt and pepper. Cook it until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
- Halfway through cooking, add pressed garlic and continue cooking until the meat is done.
- Stir in Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and tomato paste. Pour in beef broth and cook for 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 15x10-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Return eggplant cubes and the other cooked veggies. Add diced tomatoes and past sauce; stir well and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Add half rigatoni pasta, stir to mix before adding the remaining half; stir well.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, spread it out evenly before sprinkling on grated cheese.
- Loosely cover with foil and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes; halfway through cooking, remove the foil.
- Half an hour later, remove from the heat and let it rest 5 minutes before sprinkling on some fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
Footnote: Instead of using a can, make your own Tomates Concassées