In my opinion, eggplant is an under-utilized vegetable. A bit bitter in taste and creamy in texture, it's a great addition to your next pasta sauce! I particularly love pairing it with sausage. As the sausage browns and releases some of its fats and juices, add the eggplant. The eggplant will soak up all the delicious sausage flavor and brown beautifully!
Truth be told, this sauce spooned over pasta would make a great dinner. But to send it over the top, I like to dollop with spoons of creamy ricotta and a drizzle of garlicky pesto. Note, the key is to layer and dollop. Rather than mix the ricotta and pesto into the pasta sauce, I enjoy leaving the ingredients somewhat separate for a pop of texture and flavor as you're dragging your fork across your plate.
You can certainly prep the pan in advance, and throw in the oven once you get home from work, making this a wonderful make-ahead meal!
Sausage Eggplant Pasta Bake
Ingredients
· 2 tbsp olive oil
· 1lb Italian sausage, removed from casing
· 1 eggplant, peeled and diced
· ½ yellow onion, finely diced
· 1 red pepper, diced
· 1 green pepper, diced
· 4 cloves garlic, minced
· 22oz prepared marinara sauce
· 1 tsp salt
· ½ tsp black pepper
· 12oz penne or rigatoni pasta
· 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
· ½ tsp garlic powder
· ¼ cup pesto sauce
· 1 cup shredded mozzarella
· ¼ cup grated pecorino romano
In the bottom of a deep skillet, heat the oil. Over medium-high heat crumble the sausage into small pieces and brown. While browning the sausage, add the eggplant. Once the sausage is cooked through and the eggplant is golden, reduce to the heat to medium-low and add the onions and peppers. Sautee until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still have a slight bite. Remove from the heat.
While simmering the sauce, cook the noodles in an abundance of salted, boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes less than the package recommendation. The pasta should be nearly cooked but still have a chew to it. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven. Strain the noodles.
Toss the noodles with the sauce. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour half of the pasta into the pan. Smooth the surface. Dollop half of the ricotta mixture evenly over the top of the pasta. Drizzle half of the pesto over the top of the pasta. Pour the remaining pasta into the pan. Smooth the surface and dollop with the remaining ricotta and pesto. Sprinkle the top of the pasta with mozzarella and pecorino cheeses.
Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melty.
Serves 4-6
GF Friendly
Gluten Free Friendly!
Substitute your favorite gluten-free pasta - we prefer Gluten-Free Barilla.
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