.eggplant-licious.

That's what dinner was tonight.

I've been eyeing Alton Brown's Eggplant Pasta recipe for quite some time and decided that today was the day. I made a few adaptations based on some things I had that I needed to use up, like some mushrooms, and just plain forgot an ingredient, the cheese. Despite this the dish was super tasty and I paired it with some quick and easy meatballs.

The recipe itself is labeled as "expert" on the Food Network website, but really I thought it was pretty easy, although a little time consuming. I'm going to give you guys my recipe adaptation, as well as the recipe for these meatballs. 

Eggplant Pasta serves 2

1 medium to large eggplant

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 large button mushrooms

1/4 cup onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup milk

salt for purging

The first step is to peel and slice the eggplant length wise into thin, flat strips. Lay these out on a rack over a baking sheet and evenly coat them with salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes. While they are purging get the other ingredients ready by cutting the mushrooms, tomatoes, onion and garlic. You should also be starting the meatballs now. When the eggplant slices have a few minutes of purging left heat the olive oil in a large saute pan and add the other vegetables. Thoroughly rinse the eggplant, dry between paper towels, then slice into pasta sized strips. Add this to the saute pan, with the chili powder and red pepper flakes. You shouldn't need salt because there will still be some in the eggplant. After about 10 minutes the eggplant should look fairly cooked and be darker in color, add the milk and let this simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Mix with the meatballs and serve. 

Meatballs makes 8 meatballs

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp chili powder

3 tbsp bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together with your hands, shape into 1 inch meatballs. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Cook on!