As requested, here is the eggplant recipe I found in the Parade magazine 6 years ago when they had a casserole recipe contest. It won 4th place, but I liked it better than the top 3. The amazing thing is that it is full of veggies, but my kids still love it because it tastes like sausage and cheese. I love that.
2 Tbsp margarine
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup diced eggplant (1/2")
1 cup diced zucchini (1/2")
1 cup diced red or green bell pepper (1/2")
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley or 2 tsp dried
2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil or 2 tsp dried
pepper to taste
2 oz grated mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the margarine with the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook about 10 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spoon. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
2. To the same pot, add the eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Stirring occasionally, cook until softened, about 10 - 15 minutes. (This seems like a long time, but don't shorten it! It's very important to cook the eggplant long enough or else it has an odd spongy texture. If someone says they ate eggplant and didn't like it, I suspect it wasn't cooked long enough.)
3. Stir in the reserved sausage, the tomatoes, parsley, basil and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Spoon the mixture into an 8 or 9", oven-to-table baking dish and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven until the cheese melts, about 15-20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread or rolls and a salad. Yum!
2 Tbsp margarine
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup diced eggplant (1/2")
1 cup diced zucchini (1/2")
1 cup diced red or green bell pepper (1/2")
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley or 2 tsp dried
2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil or 2 tsp dried
pepper to taste
2 oz grated mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the margarine with the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook about 10 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spoon. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
2. To the same pot, add the eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Stirring occasionally, cook until softened, about 10 - 15 minutes. (This seems like a long time, but don't shorten it! It's very important to cook the eggplant long enough or else it has an odd spongy texture. If someone says they ate eggplant and didn't like it, I suspect it wasn't cooked long enough.)
3. Stir in the reserved sausage, the tomatoes, parsley, basil and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Spoon the mixture into an 8 or 9", oven-to-table baking dish and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven until the cheese melts, about 15-20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread or rolls and a salad. Yum!
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