Eggplant and Italian Sausage Pasta

I don’t know about where you live but here in BC it has been a wet September. September seems to go one of two ways here, the longest hottest days of summer, or rain, rain and more rain. This year we have had the latter. Since the weather has been blah I’ve been able to dip into my fall recipes a bit sooner then normal. And of course I’m like every other girl out there and love fall. I mostly love sweaters and Thanksgiving, but I also really enjoy fall flavours and heartier dishes.

So since it’s fall here I’m sharing a new fall pasta recipe. A one pot pasta with eggplant and Italian sausage. It’s so yummy and is now a new favourite!

Let’s talk ingredients, it’s pretty simple here and most of these items are things I’m sure you have on hand. Your favourite short pasta shape, I love fussili. A delicious eggplant, Italian sausage, some canned tomatoes, a little wine, shallots, garlic and parmesan. So yummy!

Now the method here is simple, cook your pasta, set aside and start combining the sauce ingredients. This does take a tiny big longer then some of the one pot recipes out there since you really want to cook down the eggplant. I want melty velvety eggplant. It’s a total game changer in the sauces texture. If you think you’ve over cooked the eggplant it’s probably perfect. All the delicious flavours meld together to create a really rich flavourful sauce.

I like to serve this pasta with a super simple arugula salad, just arugula, shaved parmesan, lemon, oil and black pepper. Such a yummy bright compliment to the dish. You also can’t go wrong with a big glass of red wine to wash it all down. Also eating this by the fireplace makes it extra magical, but if it’s still summer where you are you may want to skip that. I hope you give this yummy dish a try!

One Pot Eggplant and Italian Sausage Pasta

A velvety smooth sauce with eggplant, tomato and red wine. Chucks of sweet Italian sausage and lots of parmesan cheese.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound fusilli pasta
• 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 pound Mild Italian Sausage, casings removed
• 1 shallot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium eggplant, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 1 15 ounce can whole plum tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (additional for topping)

Method

 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside 1 cup of pasta water, drain and set aside.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in pot over medium-low heat. Add shallots and garlic to pan, cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add sausage to the pan. Break into small pieces and brown until cooked through.
3. Deglaze the pan with wine. Simmer for 2 minutes until reduced. If the pan is dry add remaining olive oil. Add eggplant to the pan. Turn heat up to medium and cook for 10 minutes, or until beginning to soften.
4. Break up tomatoes with your hands. Add to pot. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings if needed.
5. Lower heat, add pasta and cheese to sauce. Stir together. Add pasta water to loosen as needed, I typically use 1/3-1/2 cup. Top with additional Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from Food Network.

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