Welcome to my first instructional cooking blog! We make delicious dinners all the time, usually with the help of Blue Apron, but this time this one was all me! 

Thanks to the help of my Aunt Polly, I was given a bunch of delicious fresh veggies from her garden including eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini. ​

Step 1: Wash and chop all the fresh produce while starting a pot of boiling salted water.  

Once the water is boiling, break a portion of fettecuine in half and let it cook for 10 minutes. Then drain, reserving about one cup of pasta water. 

Next, in a non-stick pan (if you have one) heat up a tablespoon of olive oil and cook the chopped onions. Once carmelized and fragrant, add the meat. I chose ground hot Italian sausage. Break up to brown thoughoughly in the pan, season and add some pressed garlic and tomato paste. 

Once cooked, set aside. In the same pan, leaving the reserved fond, heat up some olive oil. Add seasoned eggplant in a single layer. Brown on one side for 5 minutes then flip to cook evenly. 

Once cooked, set aside and heat up more olive oil in same pan. Next up, cook the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper and keep them moving. 

Tomatoes are up next! Cook with more olive oil, pressed garlic, salt and pepper and add a little tomato paste. After the tomatoes break down, add the pasta and one cup of pasta water to moisten. 

Now it's time to combine it all! The meat, veggies, and freshly torn basil. 

Mmm, that smells good! Stir together to let the sauce fully coat all of your ingredients evenly. Add in salt, red pepper flakes (if you like) and Parmesan and then give it a final stir. 

Now it's time to serve! In a bowl scoop a good even helping of pasta to veggies and top with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. 

Last step - Enjoy!

Thanks for reading and happy cooking,

-Crystal Olguin