author: steveandsarah
created: 2006-04-30 01:19:41
servings: 6-8
notes:
You may be thinking, "Eggplant in soup? That's crazy talk." But give it a try; it's delicious. This recipe is from Steve's mom, who makes it often -- you can tell by the blotches of tomato sauce on the photocopy we have. Like many soups, it gets better after sitting a day in the refrigerator.
recipe:
2 Tbs olive oil 2 Tbs butter 1 medium onion, chopped 1 pound lean ground beef (we used ground turkey) 1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), diced 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed 1/2 cup each chopped carrot and sliced celery 1 large can (1 lb 12 oz) Italian-style tomatoes 2 cans (14 oz each) beef broth (we used vegetable stock) 1 tsp each salt and sugar 1/2 tsp each pepper and ground nutmeg 1/2 cup short pasta (macaroni, shells, etc) 2 Tbs minced parsley Grated Parmesan cheese - as much as you can handle Heat oil & butter in a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft. Then crumble meat into pot and cook, stirring to break up, until browned. Add eggplant, garlic, carrot, celery, tomatoes (break up with a spoon) and their liquid, broth, salt, sugar, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add macaroni and parsley, cover and continue simmering until macaroni is tender (about 10 minutes). Sprinkle cheese over individual servings.