I’ve already said that I’m probably a little too enthusiastic about our recent dive into more vegetarian eating. As if to prove that point to myself, I realized I’m not only trying about 10 new recipes in the next two weeks, but I also pulled about the same number of cookbooks off of the library shelves in search of more recipes.
Is there a way I can blame it on the pregnancy? I think it’s made me even more obsessed with attached to food that normal (and my normal is probably already slightly overkill).
Regardless of the culprit for this renewed enthusiasm, I’m positive the baby was responsible for why Vegetable Ragu stood out to me while perusing the cookbooks. This kiddo somersaulting inside me seems to have an insatiable desire for vegetables and pasta.
I tweaked the original recipe to add more flavor and make it a little more frugal. However, I think it would be even less expensive if I made it again in the height of summer, when all the vegetables it calls for are in season and super inexpensive.
If you have a garden, this dish will also be a fantastic way to use all those vegetables that overwhelm your refrigerator in the middle of summer.
Vegetable Ragu Over Rice or Pasta
Adapted from Almost Vegetarian, by Diana Shaw
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch circles, then quartered
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced, or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, minced, or 4 teaspoons dry basil
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced, or 4 teaspoons dry parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped, or one 14 ounce can of tomatoes
- 1 cup white beans, cooked and rinsed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Parmesan romano cheese, as garnish
DIRECTIONS
- Bake eggplant slices on a lightly greased baking sheet in a 425-degree oven, for about 12 minutes. (Tip: I used my toaster oven to avoid heating up the whole kitchen with the oven).
- After eggplant cools slightly, coarsely chop the slices and set aside.
- While eggplant is baking, sauté the onion, and garlic over medium heat until onion is soft.
- Add the basil and parsley and stir.
- Add the balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring quickly, for a few minutes. The vinegar should evaporate.
- Add the rest of the vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes) to the skillet and cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through.
- If desired, you can mash the vegetables with a potato masher so they become more of a sauce (this is particularly helpful when some of your eaters prefer not to know what is in this delicious-but-good-for-you dish)
- Add the beans to the skillet, mixing the contents to evenly distribute the beans
- Season generously with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve over brown rice or pasta (we used rotini, but Diana recommends rigatoni, ziti, or perciatelli), and garnish with parmesan romano cheese, if desired.
COST 
- Vegetables = $2.36
- Beans = $.40
- Herbs, Seasonings, Oil, etc. = (let’s say) $.25
- Pasta = .49
Total Cost = $3.50
This dish fed the three of us for dinner, and it gave me and Ray leftovers for lunch. So it essentially fed 5 people, which comes to $.70 a meal.
I’m beginning to think I don’t really like the flavor of balsamic vinegar, because I while I enjoyed this dish, I wouldn’t rank it in my top 10 tastiest. However, I love that it’s frugal, tasty, doesn’t require a lot of preparation, and brings a lot of vegetables to the table…. literally.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What kind of pasta and vegetable dishes do you like?
Cheers,
4 comments
Rebecca Burgener
05/11/2011 at 6:49 PM (UTC -6)
Dealing with a recent diagnosis of gestational diabetes, I’m finding myself pretty obsessed with finding new recipes. I’ve always been a “I’ll combine these things” kind of cook, but now I look at the ingredients and serving sizes and think, “Too many carbs. Too many carbs. Too many carbs.”
I haven’t crunched all the serving sizes, but this dish looks like a happy medium between carb-free/low-carb veggies, and pasta. (You gotta have some carbs.)
My family and I enjoyed dinner out tonight, and I studied the nutrition guide before deciding what to eat. The very first meal had 103g of carbs. The before dinner rolls were 32g a piece. Yikes! I’m supposed to eat 45g for dinner.
Yeah, I’m becoming a little obsessed.
I’m so glad I can turn to your site and find healthy meals that aren’t terribly expensive.
Steph
05/12/2011 at 10:35 AM (UTC -6)
Rebecca Burgener – So glad you’ve found some inspiration here, and sorry about to hear about the diagnosis. That’s no fun – but yay for modern medecine so we can be aware of it, right? My glucose tolerance test is coming up too, and since I’ve been craving so many carbs, I’m a little concerned. I’m focusing on making sure most of them are whole grains and all that, so we’ll see….
Susie Bee on Maui (Eat Little, Eat Big)
05/12/2011 at 5:20 AM (UTC -6)
Love it. Try red wine or even rice vinegar instead of balsamic. I might add in some mushrooms for a “meaty” touch.
I posted a nice white bean and crunchy veggie salad today.
Steph
05/12/2011 at 10:28 AM (UTC -6)
Susie Bee on Maui – Oh, good suggestions! I don’t keep a lot of vinegars around, although of course I’ve heard that they really bring a richness to the flavor with just a tiny bit of the vinegar. Balsamic was my first venture, but I might try the other ones in the future.
I’m totally checking out your salad post right now!