Sicilian Spaghetti

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• olive oil for frying eggplant
• 2 eggplants
• 3 cups ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 14 ounces chopped tomatoes (canned)
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
• 1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped (green, red, or yellow)
• 6 ounces dried spaghetti
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• salt and pepper, to taste

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400°f.
• 2 apply cooking spray to the sides and bottom of an 8-inch springform pan.
• 3 slice the eggplant. sprinkle salt on both sides of eggplant slices and let "sweat" for about 20 minutes. rinse eggplant with water and pat dry.
• 4 heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the eggplant until browned on both sides.
• 5 put the beef, onion, and garlic in a saucepan and cook, stirring until browned.
• 6 add the tomato paste, tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, marjoram or oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• 7 add the olives and bell pepper and cook for 10 minutes longer.
• 8 bring a pan of water with a few drops of olive oil to a boil. add spaghetti and cook until tender, but still firm. drain and rinse.
• 9 add spaghetti to meat mixture and cheese and toss together.
• 10 arrange eggplant slices over the base and up the sides of the springform pan. add the spaghetti mixture and then cover with remaining eggplant slices.
• 11 bake at 400f for 40 minutes. let stand 5 minutes before serving.