Meatball Eggplant Pasta Sauce

Here is something different for you to try if you like eggplant. Next time I make it I'll post a pic.

Meatball Eggplant Tomato Sauce

Meatballs:

1 to 1 1/4 pounds lean hamburger

2 to 3 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

1 slice bread, made into crumbs in a processor

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons milk

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped finely

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (fgbp)

Mix together and form into balls. A little larger than golf ball size works well.

Eggplant: One large, diced into 1 inch cubes. (Don’t make them smaller or they will disintegrate.)

Sauce:

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

1 large clove garlic

One 16 oz can diced tomatoes

One 16 oz can (or 2 x 8 oz) tomato sauce, or one 6oz can tomato paste plus 8 oz water

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

fgbp to taste

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste

Olive oil

In a wide, shallow pan with a lid, sauté onions till softened but not colored. Add garlic. Stir till you can smell the garlic.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings, and eggplant, stirring to mix.

Nestle meatballs in sauce, partially covered (so sauce can thicken a bit) and simmer gently till meatballs are done and egglplant is soft, about 30 mins.

Serve over your favorite robust pasta, such as shells, dumplings, linguine. Parmesan on top is great if you have it.