From my perspective, it’s hard to argue with baked pasta for dinner. It’s filling, relatively affordable, and easy to make (plus easy to love). I appreciate being able to throw together a pan of baked shells or baked ziti in the morning, then popping it in the oven in time for dinner.
I like to save such meals for those crazy hectic days when I need an easy win. During the school year, those days are… frequent. In an effort to keep things interesting, I’ve been experimenting with adding different ingredients to my basic baked ziti, and one was an unexpected success: Trader Joe’s Grecian Style Eggplant with Tomatoes and Onions.
Credit: Simply Recipes / Trader Joe’s
What Is Trader Joe’s Grecian Style Eggplant With Tomatoes and Onions?
This nine-ounce can of eggplant is already well-loved in my house. The eggplant is cooked slowly until it’s impossibly tender, surrounded by a sultry tomato-onion sauce with just a hint of smokiness. Beyond just eating the eggplant straight from the tin, we like to use it for topping hummus or a fluffy bowl of couscous, and it adds quick depth of flavor to pasta dishes. Enter baked ziti. It was only a matter of time before I combined these two delights. The eggplant amps up the umami and adds a velvety richness to the sauce.
I usually make some variation of this classic baked ziti recipe, but when I’m really in a pinch, I’ll shorten it even more to just store-bought marinara sauce, pasta, and lots of cheese. A tin of TJ’s eggplant is crucial in those moments, delivering a distinct cooked-all-day taste to a dish that I truly just threw together.
There isn’t really a specific recipe or ratio to follow. I usually use a whole nine-ounce can for one pound of pasta. I would not recommend skipping the marinara sauce—the eggplant is a great complement to a jar of marinara, but on its own, I think it would be a little too much for a full pan of baked ziti.
Tips for Adding Trader Joe’s Grecian Eggplant To Baked Ziti
Add feta cheese to the ricotta or mozzarella. The briny cheese doesn’t exactly melt, but it gets soft and bouncy, and its tangy flavor pairs well with the rich sauce.
Top the baked ziti with chopped parsley and crushed red pepper, both of which are ingredients in the chickpeas.
Add ground beef or Italian sausage to give the meal some extra protein and heft.
Read the original article on Simply Recipes
Dining and Cooking