Theresa's Mixed Nuts: Meatless Meal: Spaghetti Marinara with Eggplant

Friday, July 21, 2017

Meatless Meal: Spaghetti Marinara with Eggplant

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


It's been one year since I've started my journey as a vegetarian. Due to health issues, I was kind of forced into the decision, so the adjustment took some getting used to. Looking back, I think about how I struggled with the diet change, but fast forward a year later, in all honesty, I don't miss my old eating ways. I used to cook the same dishes over and over, just making a few slight changes here and there to make things feel fresh, but once I had to give it all up, I realized how boring our meals used to be. My world was opened up to many new and exciting foods that I never would have tried before like lentils, chickpeas, and using cauliflower for hot wings (so good!) Now, what was once an afterthought in the supermarket is now a dinnertime staple. One thing I never tried before this year was eggplant. The name alone is a turn off for me, but after reading a lot of vegetarian and vegan websites, I learned that eggplant is an awesome meat substitute in some dishes. So, when I saw this Spaghetti Marinara with Eggplant recipe on Golden Blossom Honey, I knew it was a must try dish. 

Spaghetti Marinara with Eggplant

Roasting the eggplant gave it a meaty texture that blended well with the pasta and sauce. I usually make a small helping of ground beef for the family to add to their spaghetti, but opted to skip it this time and served everyone the eggplant substitute and nobody complained. 

Spaghetti Marinara with Eggplant

 I am sure the sauce can also be made with your home grown tomatoes, but sadly, my garden sucks this year and I only see about a quarter of the tomatoes that I usually have by now. So much rain early on has really done a number on my veggies :( Fingers crossed I'll at least be able to recoup the cost of the plants in produce by the end of the season!


Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
8 Tablespoons olive oil
2 (28 ounce) cans plum tomatoes with their juice
2 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons capers
2 medium eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1 pound spaghetti

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

Spaghetti Marinara with Eggplant

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.









If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!


*A reminder that I will be vacationing with my family for the next 10 days and won't be online much, if at all, until we return. Be sure to follow our adventures on Instagram and Insta Stories if you want a sneak peek of everything we'll be up to! 



What are some of your favorite meat-free dishes?


 

17 comments:

  1. I don't think I could ever give up meat!!! You're amazing and keep up the good work in cooking all these delicious, inspiring and healthy food xo

    Ai @ Sakura Haruka

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  2. I'd dice some carrots and parsley and fry it with the onion first to make the taste richer! I love to put soy flakes into my marinara, but I don't know if you have them over there! But you do have smoked paprika (we don't ) and I'd definitely put some in tomato sauce!
    Can't believe it's been a year already! Proud of you for sticking with it!

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  3. Never tried eggplant, the name itself is surely off putting. But sounds like it works indeed. Yep, can take a bit to change, but once you do and stick with it, you don't miss the other stuff.

    Hope your vacation goes grand out there in Hollyweird land.

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  4. Technically it's all of them for me

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  5. That sounds amazing! I love the veggies. This is a meatless dish that I think my family would love.

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  6. That is one tasty looking meal. I love eggplant to begin with, so I can't wait to try this.

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  7. That does look delish! I'd love to gobble it up! My older sister is a meatless eater. She'd love it!

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  8. This looks so good. I haven't had great luck with my tomatoes growing this year either.

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  9. You know it's good if the family doesn't grouch. ;) My oldest son makes a mean eggplant. :)

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  10. I will have to try this, I have been wanting to try eggplant because I have never had it before.

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  11. I LOVE Eggplant! We make it with meat, fried or casserole style.

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  12. Awesome suggestion! I used to add ground eggplant to my pasta sauce with ground beef. It tastes good, but I would love to try your recipe! I bet it is tasty too!

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  13. I have seen recipes where they use eggplant as a meat substitute. I guess it would not make any difference for me because I love eggplants! We usually make a casserole with ground pork or beef. Grilled eggplants taste yummy too! I will try your eggplant marinara. You can bet I will enjoy this dish.

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  14. This looks delicious. Eggplant is my favorite!

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  15. This Spaghetti Marinara looks delicious.

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  16. This look so delicious, I love Spaghetti. I will try make it tomorrow. Thank for share.

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  17. Love it, Theresa...this is what I try to keep at home, meet free dishes :)

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Thanks for your comments! I appreciate every one of them :) Except promotional posts with added links. Those will be deleted.

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