Eggplant and minced meat sauce with tagliatelle

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 eggplant(s)
• 500 g minced beef
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ large can of tomato paste
• 500 ml water
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• 600 g pasta (tagliatelle)
• lots of Parmesan, freshly grated
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• oregano
• possibly paprika powder, sweet and hot
• olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Wash, dice, and salt the eggplants, and let stand for 15 minutes. Fry the minced meat in olive oil in a large pot until crumbly, then remove. Now fry the eggplant cubes until browned, add the diced onion and garlic, and sweat over low heat until soft. Pour in half the water, season with salt and pepper, and add the bay leaf and the minced meat. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Boil the pasta water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Stir the tomato paste into the sauce, add a pinch of sugar, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with oregano and, if desired, a little sweet or hot paprika. Serve the sauce over the pasta in a large bowl and serve with plenty of Parmesan cheese.