Momosita's Sweet Sausage and Eggplant Penne

lolablitz's Note:

I love this recipe and make it often. It was adapted from a Food Network recipe in a way that celebrates the best of eggplant flavor. I use chicken sausage to cut down on fat content, but you can use whatever you prefer.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 16 ounces penne or 16 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 2 eggplants , diced
• garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion , chopped
• 2 -3 garlic cloves , sliced fine
• 16 ounces sweet italian chicken sausages , sliced
• 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (or one 28 ounce can)
• 1 ¼ cups milk
• ½ cup thinly sliced basil leaves (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Add diced eggplant to glass baking dish and sprinkle with garlic salt and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
4. While eggplant is roasting, prepare sauce.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large pan and heat over medium. Add onion and diced sausage to pan and cook until onions are softened and sausage is cooked through.
6. While waiting for the onions and sausage to cook, prepare penne according to box directions (usually boil 9-12 minutes).
7. Add garlic to the pan with the onions and sausage. Saute until fragrant (2 minutes).
8. Add tomatoes, milk and basil to the pan and simmer until flavors meld.
9. Drain pasta and add it back to the pan along with the eggplant.
10. Serve the sauce over the pasta mixture.