Mediterranean Baked Pasta with Eggplant and Sausage
I love Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine and this pasta bake boasts key flavors and ingredients from both.
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant, cut into ½- to 1-inch cubes
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1.25 cups roasted red pepper hummus, 10oz container
- 4 pre-cooked poultry sausage links*
- 14 oz box of cooked and drained pasta of choice, rotini, penne, farfalle, fusilli, spaghetti, etc.**
- Optional garnish: herbs, sliced olives, and crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese.
- *Any favorite variation works, from andouille to chicken-apple sausage.
- **It’s important to save 1 cup pasta water for the finished sauce.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place eggplant cubes in casserole dish and drizzle on olive oil. Mix around to coat the eggplant pieces. Sprinkle on garlic powder and kosher salt and push to the outer perimeter to create a well in the center. Add the roasted red pepper hummus to the open center.
- Mist the eggplant with oil spray so the tops are glistening, and place the casserole dish in the oven (positioned on middle rack) and bake for 25 minutes.
- While it’s in the oven, slice poultry sausage links into ¼-inch discs. When the eggplant is at the 25-minute mark, open the oven and scatter the sausage pieces over the eggplant and hummus. Cook another 10 minutes to heat the sausage and continue to cook/soften the eggplant.
- Remove casserole dish from oven. Stir everything together to create a thick chunky sauce. Mix in cooked pasta, adding in small increments of the reserved pasta water to create a perfectly creamy and saucy consistency. *It’s very important to only add ¼ cup at a time, so you can stop when you reach a desired consistency. You will not need all of the water.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with herbs and optional crumbled feta cheese.
Notes
Nutrition provided per 2 cups pasta.
Nutrition Information per serving
Calories: 380Carbohydrates: 37gProtein: 20gTotal Fat: 18g— Unsaturated Fat: 15g— Saturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 780mgPotassium: 585mgFiber: 7gTotal Sugar: 4g— Natural Sugar: 0g— Added Sugar: 4gIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.