Mediterranean pasta dish

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g minced meat, half and half
• 2 onions
• 1 large zucchini, or 2 small ones
• 1 large eggplant(s) , or 2 small ones
• 2 bell peppers, green or yellow
• 3 large tomatoes, or 4 small ones
• 250 g sheep’s cheese, original Greek or similar
• Salt
• pepper
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp oregano
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• Olive oil, for frying
• possibly sour cream
• 500 g pasta, preferably penne or farfalle

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

Cook pasta in salted water according to the package instructions until al dente. Finely dice the onions. Dice the vegetables and feta cheese (approx. 1-1.5 cm) and set aside by type. In a large pan, sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent, add the ground beef and fry until crumbly, season with salt and pepper. Add the herbs and the diced zucchini and bell pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then add the eggplant and tomato cubes and sauté for 2-3 minutes. (If you prefer it “saucier,” you can also stir in a little sour cream.) Season with cinnamon. Then add the feta cheese cubes and heat until the feta cheese begins to melt slightly. Add the cooked pasta and heat briefly. Serve immediately. Tips: With the short cooking time, the vegetables remain fairly firm to the bite. If you prefer them softer, simply increase the cooking time a bit. If the pan isn’t big enough for the amount of water, you can also pour the vegetable and mince mixture over the pasta. Then cook the pasta just before cooking so it’s still warm. In my experience, it works well if you prepare all the ingredients and start cooking roughly the same time you add the pasta to the boiling water.