Eggplant Zucchini Bolognese & Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

I like to make dinners well I try using items that are on sale at Publix. This week was ground turkey and ground chuck. I have always wanted to try making something with ground turkey and see if Ed notices - he thinks ground turkey is gross. Well I wasn't that adventurous on Tuesday and got ground chuck instead :/ I found a recipe for Egglant Zucchini Bolognese (a meat spaghetti sauce) - I think ground turkey would be great in this recipe and no one would know! Buttt I used ground beef this time. We had our friends Will and Nicole over - who got engaged on Saturday and we didn't get to make it to the party - so I invited them over for a celebration dinner!
*I didn't take any pictures of this dish - start to finish - so bear with me on this one :)

Here is what you will need:

1 Box (16oz) Penne Pasta - I used about 3/4 of the box since we only had 5 people eating - I made all of the sauce because Ed and I like A LOT of sauce.
1 Small Eggplant - peeled, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Medium Zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 Medium Yellow Summer Squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 Cup Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tsp Minced Garlic
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1 lb ground beef (you can use whatever fat/meat ratio you want - I used 80/20 - or ground turkey!)
2 cans tomato sauce - no salt added
1 Jar of High Quality Spaghetti Sauce
1 1/2 Fresh Garden Tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (I use McCormick's Italian Medley No Salt Added)
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Grated Parmesan for serving

Here's how you make it:

1. Put water in pot and bring to a boil. Cook a minute less than al dente because you will be putting the pasta in the tomato sauce and letting it simmer for a couple minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, zucchini, squash, onion, olive oil, S&P. Transfer to a baking pan that is coated with non-stick spray (I only had enough veggies for 1 pan, you should use 2 pans if it seems the 1st pan is over-crowded) Put in the pre-heated oven for 25-35 minutes or until tender. To make my veggies a little 'roastier' I turned the broiler on for about 3 minutes or so - if you do this you really have to keep an eye on them or they could burn to a crisp in a matter of seconds!
3. While the veggies are roasting, cook the beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until no longer pink in the center then drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes and spaghetti sauce (use a much or as little as you desire), Italian seasoning and brown sugar.
4. Drain the pasta. Then add pasta and roasted veggies into the Bolognese sauce.
5. Make your plate, sprinkle with Parm and dig in!

* I served this with a baguette and a big salad with carrots and cherry tomatoes with a Maple Dijon Vinaigrette.

Here is the recipe for the Vinaigrette - a favorite in our house. I just stumbled across this recipe when trying to find a quick vinaigrette to make one night. SO yummy.

Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

You will need:

1/4 cup maple syrup (do NOT use imitation syrup, it will not taste right)
2 Tbsp Minced Shallot
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Clove Garlic, minced
S&P to taste


How to...
Mix all the ingredients together and serve! I have a handy little salad dressing bottle I got at Publix for about $3 - much easier to throw all the ingredients in there and shake. Instead of using a whisk and trying not to spill it everywhere when pouring it into a container or from the bowl into your salad.

My first blog - Squash as an appetizer :)

I have a passion for cooking and I want to share all of the different recipes that I make on this blog! When I was trying to think of a name for my blog I came across a quote that describes exactly how I feel about cooking: "Southerners can't stand to eat alone. If we're going to cook a mess of greens we want to eat them with a mess of people." -- Julia Reed This is it! I LOVE to cook for my Husband, friends, and family. It brings me so much joy to see someone that I love enjoying the food that I made. I truly enjoy trying new foods, recipes and attempting new cooking techniques. On Friday night I sauteed some squash (from our garden :) ) with some garlic and pepper and topped with Parm. Here is how I did it...

Ingredients:
Yellow Squash
Freshly Ground Pepper
Garlic Powder
Block of Parmesan Cheese

1st I chopped the squash into rounds (this picture is the 2nd squash that Ed cut up for me, I forgot to take a picture of the squash I cut up. I got caught up in the moment!)

Meanwhile I melted butter in a large pan. (enough to coat the pan when melted.. about 3-4 tbsp or you could use olive oil!)

After the butter was melted and hot I added the squash into the pan. I seasoned the squash with garlic powder and pepper. 

I cooked the squash rounds for a few minutes on each side, until they were golden brown.

After they were golden brown on each side I took them out and placed them on a paper towel that I had put on a plate. I let them drain for about a minute. I took them off the paper towel and I grated Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Serve warm to your friends and enjoy!!