Zucchini and Bow Ties with Eggplant Parmesan

This meal was a winner to me! I've never ever had eggplant before, and I just so happened to get lucky my best friend gave me some to try. This is probably the first meatless meal I've made, and my husband was totally sad! He said he needed MEAT on his birthday. Which is today. Happy Birthday, Honey!


Your stars of the show, the ingredients!


Eggplant slices all lined up after being dipped in flour, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and herbs. They look so yummy. I used Panko instead of regular bread crumbs for a good crunch.


Fry the slices a few at a time in 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan.


Gently cook the zucchini before adding in the cooked pasta and some of its starchy water.


The finished meal. Oh so yummy!

Zucchini and Bow Ties with Eggplant Parmesan
Zucchini and Bow Ties Recipe by: Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats Cookbook
Eggplant Parmesan by: Bobby Flay @ Food Network

coarse salt 1 pound bow-tie pasta 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 6 garlic cloves, minced 2 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks coarse black pepper 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese 20 fresh basil leaves, torn or shredded 1 medium sized eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick 2 to 3 cups breadcrumbs 1 1/2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped salt and pepper 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon water all-purpose flour for dredging vegetable oil for frying about 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Staple Item $1.08 Staple Item $.35 $1.61 Staple Item $2.38 $2.88 $1.45 $1.00 $.75 $2.88 Staple Item $.36 Staple Item Staple Item $2.94 $1.40

If an item says it's a staple item that means that I used so little of the full product that it wasn't worth the math to figure out each teaspoon, etc. Haha.

Total Price of Meal: $19.44

Zucchini and Bow Ties

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the bow ties al dente. Save a couple ladles of starchy pasta water before you drain the pasta.

2. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the zucchini. Cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add a couple of ladles of cooking water. Drain the pasta and add to the zucchini. Toss with the cheese and turn off the heat. Toss for 2 minutes, until the liquids are absorbed. Serve in shallow bowls with lots of basil on top.

3. Serve with Eggplant Parmesan.

Eggplant Parmesan

1. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 15 x 10 x 2 baking sheet.

2. Place the bread crumbs into a large shallow bowl. Add the herbs, salt and pepper as you like. In another medium shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water.

3. Season each eggplant slice on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off excess, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the egg plant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

4. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in large saute pan over medium heat until the oil gets hot. Working in small batches, fry a few of the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

5. After transferring the eggplant slices to the paper towels, put a little handful of mozzarella cheese on top to melt while the rest of the eggplant slices finish frying.

6. Serve with crusty garlic bread.

Mexican Pasta with Tomatillo Sauce and Meatballs

Second recipe from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats. This one is not going to be a keeper for us. It was okay to make the first time, and it used ingredients I've never purchased before.

I never usually put jalapenos in our dishes, because I'm not so much of a spicy eater and my husband can only tolerate so many. My grandfather? You should have seen him put extra hot sauce on his plate!

This dish is incredibly hot. I was thinking about seeding the jalapenos before slicing them, and ended up not. I should have. I need to take a lesson in how to properly chop onions, too. Some pieces are too big while others are too small. I'm trying to take baby steps here!

I think I also overcooked my chicken meatballs, and they were a little on the dry side. These pack a bunch of flavor, though, which was okay but I didn't enjoy with the sauce. I guess I'm a red or white sauce kind of pasta person.

I also used the whole block of Manchego cheese. We love our cheese around here, and I piled it on high after finishing the pasta, which made it a little more bearable to eat.

So, if you like spicy, try this dish!

I missed a few photos because it was getting late and dinner should have been on the table an hour before it was ready. It took a lot of time to prep. I need to learn to prep first then prepare. Not prep while preparing.


All the ingredients you'll need. I did have a Mexican beer, but my grandfather took it from it's hiding spot and drank it. He said he didn't like it at all. So I ended up using this 55 calorie beer. I should have gone with the chicken stock.


The onions, jalapenos, garlic and tomatillos cooking in a pot with the beer.


The chicken meatballs after they were done cooking. Look at all the flavor!


My plate piled high with cheese! Just like I promised.

Mexican Pasta with Tomatillo Sauce and Meatballs
Recipe by: Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats Cookbook

coarse salt 1 pound fettuccine extra virgin olive oil 1 pound ground pork or chicken 1 egg 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped 3 scallions, finely chopped 1 teaspoon allspice a few dashes hot sauce coarse black pepper 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 2 jalapenos, fully seeded and very thinly sliced 1 cup Mexican beer or chicken stock 20 tomatillos, peeled and coarsely chopped salt and pepper 1 cup grated Manchego cheese

Staple Item $1.08 Staple Item $2.98 $.13 $.15 $.82 $2.88 $.40 Staple Item Staple Item Staple Item Staple Item Staple Item $1.24 $.28 $1.99 $2.18 Staple Item $3.48

If an item says it's a staple item that means that I used so little of the full product that it wasn't worth the math to figure out each teaspoon, etc. Haha.

Total Price of Meal: $17.61

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta al dente.

2. While the pasta works, add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to a mixing bowl. Place the meat in the bowl. Add the egg, bread crumbs, cilantro, the thyme, scallions, allspice, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Form 2-inch meatballs and arrange on a rimmed nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

3. While the meatballs bake, make the sauce. Heat a deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, the garlic, onions, and jalapenos. Cook for 5 minutes, add the beer or stock, and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatillos and the cilantro, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender and saucy, about 10 minutes.

4. To serve, toss the drained pasta with the sauce and meatballs and the Manchego cheese. Serve with crusty bread.