This is a very delicious recipe for eggplant and sausage casserole. It is a traditional Southwestern dish. You can also experiment by adding mozzarella cheese, portobella mushrooms, or tomatoes.

Ingredients

1/2 lb bulk sausage (Jimmy Dean or similar works well)
1 small eggplant
1 egg, beaten
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup butter cracker crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Peel the eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes and lightly salt to sweat the bitter taste out.
2. In a saucepan, cook the eggplant cubes with water for about 18 minutes (until tender); drain and cool slightly.
3. Cook the sausage and onion until the sausage is browned and the onion is soft.
4. Combine the eggplant and sausage; add the beaten egg and bread crumbs.
5. Spoon into a prepared casserole.
6. Combine the butter and cracker crumbs. Spread over the top of the casserole.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes (until the cracker crumbs are golden brown).

Makes 4 servings

More Fantastic Vegetable Gardening Articles:

1. Squash Casserole
2. Greek-style Stuffed Eggplant
3. Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

2 eggplants, cut in half lengthwise (about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup water
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped plum tomato
1/4 cup white wine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (1-ounce) slices French bread
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Carefully remove pulp from each eggplant, reserving shells. Coarsely chop pulp to measure 6 cups. Place eggplant shells, cut sides down, in a 10-inch square baking dish. Add water to dish. Cover and microwave at high 5 minutes or until shells are tender. Keep warm.

Preheat broiler.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add eggplant pulp; saute 7 minutes. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in tomato, wine, and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add feta, 1/4 cup parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper, stirring to combine. Spoon 3/4 cup eggplant mixture into each eggplant shell.

Place the bread slices in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup. Combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and Parmesan, stirring well. Sprinkle 1/4 cup breadcrumb mixture over each stuffed shell. Arrange shells on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil 2 minutes or until lightly browned.

More Fantastic Vegetable Gardening Articles:

1. Tuscan Stuffed Tomatoes with Black Olives
2. Eggplant Parmesan
3. Spaghetti with Roasted Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes

Tomato Sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (28-ounce) whole, peeled tomatoes, drained
Handful fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 small (3/4 pound) eggplants, stemmed but not peeled
2 to 3 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound dried spaghetti
1 pint cherry tomatoes, stemmed
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino, plus extra for serving
Handful fresh basil leaves, torn

First, make the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 7 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft but not browned. Add the tomatoes, crushing them in your hand to break them up. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and put them in a large bowl. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and drizzle generously with olive oil. Toss to coat, drizzling in more oil if you needed. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 20 minutes until eggplants are very tender.

While the eggplants are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. About 5 minutes before the eggplants are done, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer and pour it into a large pasta bowl. Add the drained spaghetti and stir to coat with the sauce. Fold in the eggplants and the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and basil, and another drizzle of oil, and toss gently. Serve immediately and pass extra cheese at the table.

More Fantastic Vegetable Gardening Articles:

1. Eggplant Parmesan
2. Oven Dried Tomatoes – Video
3. Greek-style Stuffed Eggplant

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 (28-ounce) cans plum tomatoes and their juices, crushed with your hands
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Honey, to taste

Eggplant:

5 cups fresh dried breadcrumbs (made from dried day-old bread)
Butter, for greasing the dish
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons water
2 to 3 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4-pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices (need about 18 slices)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Vegetable oil, for frying
Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce
12 ounces grated mozzarella (not fresh), plus1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
12 ounces grated fontina
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
Fresh basil leaves, torn

For the Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce:

Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the red peppers and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. Return the mixture back to the pot, add the parsley, basil and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes longer and season with honey, if needed.

For the Eggplant:

To dry out the bread crumbs:

Preheat the oven to 300 degree F.

Evenly spread the bread crumbs on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the oven off and let the bread crumbs sit in the oven for 30 minutes or until just dry.

Raise the temperature of the oven up to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 15 by 10 by 2-inch baking dish and set aside.

Place the bread crumbs into a large shallow bowl. Add the herbs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. In another medium shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and 2 tablespoons of water together.

Season each eggplant slice on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off excess, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the egg plant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Heat 1/2-inch of oil in 2 large straight-sided saute pans over medium heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 385 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry a few of the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with some of the tomato sauce and arrange 1/2 of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with some of the sauce, grated mozzarella, fontina, Romano cheese and some of the basil. Repeat to make 3 layers ending with the sauce. Top with the fresh mozzarella and remaining Romano and bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

More Fantastic Vegetable Gardening Articles:

1. Spaghetti with Roasted Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes
2. Greek-style Stuffed Eggplant
3. Eggplant and Sausage Casserole