How many pasta recipes do you have that use a slow cooker? Our guess is not too many! Pasta crockpot recipes aren't too common; many cookbooks choose more traditional recipes instead. While we love our pot roast and stew recipes, we think this pasta recipe is a must-try.
We'll be pairing penne with eggplant and a mushroom sauce for this dish. It's one of those meals that will taste so decadent nobody will believe it was so easy! You'll need to find time to cook your pasta before making this recipe, but aside from that the slow cooker will handle the heavy lifting.
Make sure your slow cooker is large enough for this recipe. You'll need a six quart one. If you don't have a large enough slow cooker, then we recommend cutting this recipe in half or by a third so that it can fit sufficiently. The last thing you want is to get everything ready, only to find that your crockpot is too small!
On low, this dish will take seven to eight hours to cook. That's fairly standard for most slow cooker recipes. You'll be able to let it cook while you're out of the house for the day. Imagine how nice it will be to come home to the smells of dinner already done! If you're short on time, however, this recipe can also be cooked on high.
Penne with Italian Eggplant and Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can Italian-style tomatoes (28 ounce), cut up
1 can tomato paste (6 ounce), Italian-style
8 oz. mushrooms sliced and lightly sautéed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup water
3 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted & sliced (or pitted ripe olives)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, snipped
4 cups hot cooked penne pasta
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes.
2. In a 6 quart slow cooker combine eggplant, onion, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, garlic, wine, water, and oregano.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
4. Stir in olives and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Serve over pasta with Parmesan cheese.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©iStock.com/Al Gonzalez