Veggie Ziti

This is the 1st in a series of what I'm calling RECESSion meals. They are meals or dishes that you make Sunday night (or Monday morning if you're unemployed at the moment) and you eat for the whole week. (This may sound boring, I know! But this is a response to the idea of eating well and gluten free on a budget)

We'll make a veggie ziti but in 2 parts - 1 is straight up veggie, the other is an eggplant ziti so at least we have 2 flavors to choose from and we can alternate from day to day.

Ingredients:
12 oz Schar GF Ziti (or Tinkyada Ziti)
24 oz jar of tomato sauce (Classico tomato basil)
1 large eggplant
1 onion
5 cloves of garlic
2 zucchinis
2 carrots
5 shiitake mushrooms
1 lb mozzarella cheese (whole milk)- grated or roughly sliced
1 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Boil the pasta according to package directions, drain water. While the pasta is boiling cut up onions, garlic, mushrooms and veggies into cubes. Cut eggplant into rounds and sprinkle with sea salt. Next, in a large frying pan or dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until translucent. Add herbs and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes more. Then remove 1/2 of the mixture and set aside. Then add eggplant and fry on both sides until they are a nice golden brown.

Have 2 pyrex baking dishes available: 7 x 11" and and 8 x 8". Pour a little tomato sauce in the bottom of both dishes. Add the garlic/onion/mushroom/herbs mixture to the 8 x 8 pan. Layer the ziti, eggplant, sauce, cheese until the dish is full.

In the 7 x 11 pan add ziti, carrots, zucchini, and the remaining garlic/onion mixture. Then add in the remaining mozzarella cheese and stir.

Place both pyrex dishes in the oven and cook for at least 1 hour. The dish should be very bubbly when ready. Serve with green salad.

©Joanne Sherrow, original recipe