Beef Ragu
over roasted eggplant / zucchini rounds
This rustic dish takes advantage of fresh eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes which are often available in abundance at the end of the summer season.
Smarts: If you want to save time and / or want to make a thicker sauce, substitute canned, diced tomatoes instead of fresh in this recipe (use a 14 oz / 397 g can of diced tomatoes for 4 servings).
Smarts: If you want to save time and / or want to make a thicker sauce, substitute canned, diced tomatoes instead of fresh in this recipe (use a 14 oz / 397 g can of diced tomatoes for 4 servings).
Tags
Ingredients
Beef Ragu over Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini Rounds:
- Onions, medium - 1, chopped
- Bell peppers, red or yellow - 1, diced
- Garlic - 4 cloves, chopped
- Eggplant - 1, peeled and sliced into rounds
- Zucchini - 12 oz, sliced into rounds
- Tomatoes - 1 lb, diced
- Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
- Tomato paste - 3 Tbsp
- Oregano, dried - 1 tsp
- Basil, dried - 1 tsp
- Red pepper flakes - 1/4 tsp
- Beef, ground - 1 lb
- Stock, any type - 1/2 cup
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories
318
Just a moment...
% Daily Value
Total Fat
13g
21%
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Saturated Fat
4g
18%
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Trans Fat
< 1g
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Cholesterol
70mg
23%
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Sodium
238mg
10%
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Total Carbohydrate
22g
7%
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Dietary Fiber
8g
31%
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Sugars
13g
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Protein
30g
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Prep
- Onions / Bell peppers / Garlic - (If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating before continuing with prep.) Prep as directed. Combine onions and bell peppers. Store garlic separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Eggplant / Zucchini / Tomatoes - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)
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Make
- Heat oven to 400F / 204C.
- Spread eggplant and zucchini out in a single layer on a sheet pan (use two if needed to prevent overlap). Brush vegetables on both sides with some oil and season with some salt and pepper.
- Roast eggplant and zucchini until tender, 20 to 30 minutes (depending on thickness of slices).
- While vegetables roast, heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and then onions and bell peppers. Saute until vegetables are soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
- To onions and bell peppers, add garlic, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes with a pinch of salt. Saute for 1 minute more.
- Add beef with a pinch of salt and stir for 4 to 5 minutes to get it started cooking.
- Stir in tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer. Simmer ragu until the beef is cooked through and the flavors have had time to develop, ~10 minutes.
- Taste ragu and season with some salt and pepper.
- Arrange roasted eggplant and zucchini on serving plates (bonus presentation points for overlapping / alternating them). Spoon ragu over top and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories
318
Just a moment...
% Daily Value
Total Fat
13g
21%
Just a moment...
Saturated Fat
4g
18%
Just a moment...
Trans Fat
< 1g
Just a moment...
Cholesterol
70mg
23%
Just a moment...
Sodium
238mg
10%
Just a moment...
Total Carbohydrate
22g
7%
Just a moment...
Dietary Fiber
8g
31%
Just a moment...
Sugars
13g
Just a moment...
Protein
30g
Just a moment...
Reviews
Ratings
34 reviews
Glad we made it with linguine -- seems too liquidy for penne. The sauce tasted fresh, but needed far more flavor. Maybe double the spices? I liked the beans for heft, but was overall just a kind of bland.
0 HelpfulI added squash and zucchini. I didn't think it was blah, but I tasted it before I served it, too. The sauce wasn't super thick, but it worked well with rigatoni (which I had instead of penne). Not bad.
0 Helpful