After savoring a serving of radiatore with beef and pork Bolognese sauce at Grassa a few weeks ago, I craved more pasta. So I whipped up this fusilli with sausage and eggplant to satisfy my hunger.
I discovered the recipe while watching “Giada Entertains” one morning. As soon as Giada presented the finished dish, I wanted to recreate it.
Fusilli with sausage and eggplant is comfort food at its best. Each bite packs a flavor punch, thanks to the addition of canned cherry tomatoes (an ingredient I had never used before) and two kinds of cheese. Serve the pasta as a primo piatto or main course alongside crusty bread and a green salad.
Recipe adapted from Food Network.
Fusilli with Sausage and Eggplant
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into ½" cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more, to taste
- 12 ounces fusilli
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from its casing
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 14 oz. can cherry tomatoes (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ¾ cup grated Provolone cheese
Instructions
- Place eggplant in a medium bowl and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt; toss to combine and let sit for 5 minutes. Rinse eggplant with cold water, drain well and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Place eggplant on a double layer of paper towels and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving ¾ cup cooking liquid, and transfer to a large bowl.
- In the same pot used to cook the pasta, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and brown, breaking it into bite-size pieces with a spoon.
- Once sausage is browned, push it to one side of the pot. Add eggplant to the other side of the pot and cook, without stirring, for 3 minutes.
- Stir together the sausage and eggplant. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add shallot and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add reserved cooking liquid and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Add tomatoes with juice, oregano and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally and gently crushing the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to release more of their juices, for 8 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta and cheese and stir gently to combine. Season with additional salt to taste.
Notes
I used Mutti® Cherry Tomatoes from World Market, but you can substitute whole peeled tomatoes if it's more convenient.
