Eggplant Bolognese

This was really good! In an effort to use more zucchini (and appease my husband) I left out the eggplant. I used 3 zucchini and 1 summer squash. The kids loved it. No complaints of squash. I think it's because it is chopped up so small. And, call me uncultured, I just used hamburger instead of ground chuck. This is from Every Day Food magazine.

8 T olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced
1 lrg eggplant (about 1#) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), finely chopped
1 zucchini (about 8 oz), quartered lengthwise, sliced 1/4 inch thick crosswise
1 garlic clove, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 # ground beef chuck
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 T dried oregano
1 # rigatoni or other short tube pasta
Parmesan cheese, shaved

1 In saucepan with lid, heat 6 T oil over medium-high. Add eggplant; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6-8 min. Transfer to bowl; set aside.
2 Add remaining oil to pan; reduce heat to medium. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, til veggies have softened. 7-10 min.
3 Add beef; cook stirring and breaking up meat with spoon til cooked, 5 min.
4 Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, add tomatoes, oregano and eggplant to beef-vegetable mixture; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick and eggplant is tender, about 25 min. (doesn't take that long without eggplant). Season with salt and pepper.
5 Meanwhile, cook pasta til al dente, according to package directions. Drain; serve topped with sauce and parmesan cheese.