Finally! An Eggplant Recipe I Will Make Again

I like the idea of serving eggplant dishes, but I've never been fond of this purple vegetable's overpoweringly strong flavor. But then I found this recipe. With it's mild flavor and unique taste, it's the perfect family friendly meal that I will definitely be making again. Plus it adds some flavor and nutritional variety in our usual (boring) dinnertime routine.

I seldom share recipes, because my culinary skills are amateur, at best. But this recipe is within my limited abilities, and it's delicious. I found this recipe years ago at mealtimemakeover.com, which is a Dave Ramsey endorsed website that provides you with a weekly shopping list and simple recipes for a weekly meal plan. It's a neat concept, but I wasn't able to budget their services, and simply printed this recipe from one of the sample pages. 

I know some of the ingredients listed sound odd; I was skeptical too. But trust me, it's a perfect blend of flavors.

1/2 package of bacon, cooked

6T olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 red bell peppers, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

Pinch of nutmeg

2 eggplants, peeled and chopped

15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

2 - 4T raisins

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

12 oz box whole wheat spaghetti

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2T olive oil

2T basalmic vinegar

Cook bacon. Crumble and set aside

Add oil to large skillet. Stir in onion, garlic, peppers, celery, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until onion is transparent. Add eggplant, tomatoes, raisins and bacon to skillet and cook covered, stirring occasionally until eggplant is soft. Top with cheese. Cover and let melt.

Prepare spaghetti according to directions. Add 2T olive oil, 2T balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. 

Toss and serve with eggplant.

Notes: I chopped my vegetables small enough that they sort of melted into a sauce when cooked - a major plus for my young family.

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