Crock Pot Eggplant Rigatoni Food

RIGATONI WITH ITALIAN EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook. Continue stirring until softened, about 3 more minutes.
• Add tomatoes, with liquid, breaking them up with the back of spoon. Stir in wine, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
• Bring large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente; drain. Toss pasta with sauce in pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Serve on a large platter and top with grated Romano cheese.

CROCK POT PASTA WITH EGGPLANT SAUCE

Steps:

• Peel eggplant, if desired; cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes.
• In a 3 to 5 quart crock pot combine eggplant, onion, green pepper, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, garlic, sugar (if using), wine, water, and oregano.
• Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
• Stir in olives and parsley.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve over pasta with Parmesan cheese.
• Garnish with toasted pine nuts.
• Makes 6 servings.
• Enjoy!
• Note: Sometimes I will throw in grated carrots, zucchini, and other fresh vegs.
• In a hurry?.
• Use canned spaghetti sauce!
• (Leave out the tomatoes, tomato paste.) Just add the wine, herbs, olives, etc.
• Enjoy!

CROCK POT RIGATONI

Steps:

• Layer half of each ingredient in the order listed.
• Repeat.
• Cover, Cook on low 4-5 hours.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN WITH RIGATONI

Steps:

• For the sauce: Add the olive oil, crushed red pepper, onion and salt to taste to a medium saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium and saute the onions until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, garlic, 1/4 cup water and more salt to taste. Stir to combine and allow to cook down until the sauce is reduced and the flavors have melded, 15 to 20 minutes.
• For the eggplant: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Peel the eggplant lengthwise, alternating every inch so there are still some strips of skin remaining. Slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds and arrange on a sheet tray. Season the eggplant on both sides generously with salt and set aside.
• Set up a dredging station with three bowls: place the flour into one bowl, eggs into another and panko in the third. One at a time, dip the eggplant rounds into the flour first, then the eggs and finally the panko. Press the breading into the eggplant to ensure it is fully coated. Place on a sheet tray lined with a rack.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan until it shimmers. Add the eggplant in batches and cook until golden brown, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain the eggplant on a paper towel-lined tray. Drain the oil from the pan and set the pan aside for later.
• Top each piece of eggplant with a spoonful of sauce and a slice of fresh mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is just melted, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
• For the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the pasta water generously with salt. It should be as salty as the sea. Add the rigatoni and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• To finish, add a few scoops of sauce to the saute pan that the eggplant was cooked in. Add the cooked rigatoni and toss in the sauce, ensuring all of the noodles are coated. Add the Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
• To serve: Plate 2 pieces of the eggplant Parmesan alongside a generous scoop of rigatoni and finish with the fresh basil. Enjoy!

BEEF AND EGGPLANT STEW (GREEK - CROCK POT VERSION)

Steps:

• Wash the eggplant, then top and tail.
• Don't bother to peel, just cut into 1 inch thick segments.
• In large skillet, brown the beef, onions, garlic and eggplant in olive oil until dark golden-brown; drain.
• Place in crock pot.
• Combine the beef stock with the tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, spices, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir it into the meat.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.
• If serving with pasta, prepare pasta until al dente, pour onto a large serving platter and cover with meat, eggplant and sauce (you may add the feta- it is delicious).
• Sprinkle minced parsley over.
• If serving on its own as a main course, garnish with parsley and feta, serve with a green salad, lots of crusty bread (the sauce has to be mopped up!), and plenty of red wine.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN FOR THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Place eggplant slices in a large bowl in layers, sprinkling each layer with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes to drain. Rinse and dry on paper towels.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk eggs with water and flour until smooth. Dip eggplant slices in batter and fry in the hot oil until golden brown, working in batches of 2 to 3 slices at a time.
• Mix seasoned bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Place 1/4 of the eggplant slices into a slow cooker and top with 1/4 of the crumbs, 1/4 of the marinara sauce, and 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers three more times.
• Cover and cook on Low until tender and flavors have blended, 4 to 5 hours.

BAKED RIGATONI IN A CROCK POT

Steps:

• In a skillet heat 1 tbsp of the oil over med-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned through. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the slow cooker. Drain the liquid from the pan. Reduce the heat to med. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add onions and celery, and cook until well softened. Add garlic, salt, thyme, and peppercorns stirring for 1 minute. Stir in tomato soup, stock, and Worcestershire sauce. Transfer to slow cooker, add rigatoni and stir well.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or cook on high for 4 hours until very hot and bubbly. Stir in the cheese and cook on high for another 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

SARASOTA'S CROCKPOT EGGPLANT MEDITERRANEAN

Steps:

• Crockpot -- Add the eggplant, onion, celery, olive oil, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, oregano, salt and pepper in the slow cooker and mix well. Top with the olives and squash but don't stir.Cover and cook on low for approximately 4 hours.
• Finish -- After 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 hours, when the eggplant is tender, stir to incorporate the squash and the olives into the mix. To finish, mix the sugar with the vinegar and add to the crockpot along with the capers and basil. Stir well and test for any additional seasoning, salt and pepper. Pepper is the only thing I find I need to add. Cook another 10-15 minutes, just to blend all the flavors. Perfect time to make your couscous, or maybe some grilled bread or rice. Any side dish you want.
• Serve -- As I mentioned, I prefer to serve this over couscous and garnish with feta cheese. ENJOY!