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. 

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. 

 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

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What are some of your favorite meat-free dishes?