"Meaty" Eggplant Bolognese

Might I add.. This may be my best picture to date!

So day #2 of healthy recipes. I was pretty exciting to make and eat this dish because I love eggplant and it is super healthy! Eggplant has a ton of fiber, which keeps you fuller longer. When paired with whole wheat pasta you get even more fiber. Not to mention this is delicious. Eggplant has a meaty texture so trust me when I tell you, you will not miss the meat! I'm not sure which is better, the fact that it is healthy or that there is red wine in it. Adding a touch of red wine to tomato sauce makes it super decadent so I say 1 Point red wine.  I found this recipe from my Whole Foods iPhone app, which is awesome for finding tons of healthy recipes. You can also make grocery lists from it to send to your phone. Pretty awesome!



Serves 8

Ingredients

1 cup dry red wine
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled and chopped
12 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added crushed or diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, divided
1 pound whole wheat or other whole grain pasta

Method

Bring red wine to a simmer in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook ,stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and very tender and most of the wine has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add eggplant, mushrooms and rosemary and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, broth and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in almond milk and 2 tablespoons chopped basil.

To serve, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain thoroughly. Serve sauce over pasta and garnish with remaining basil.

You will never miss the meat in this dish. Enjoy!