Recipe

Sausage And Eggplant-stuffed Shells In A Tomato-basil Cream Sauce Recipe

Add Step-by-Step Photos	Twohot / All my dishes 1 year ago very good if you love eggplant Prep:45m Cook:1m Servings:4	Twohot
	not too hard

Does this look good? Yeah! / Nope

Fans

rescue_ran

misslizzi

trigger

cookingfor

mamalou

lunasea

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3/4 pound Italian sausage, casings removed

• 2 cups chopped onion

• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 7 cups cubed)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1/2 cup ricotta or mascarpone cheese

• 12 ounces fresh spinach, blanched, squeezed dry, and chopped (about 2/3 cup chopped)

• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 (12-ounce) package jumbo pasta shells (about 18 shells)

• 2 cups Italian crushed tomatoes

• 3 cups heavy cream

• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

• 4 ounces coarsely grated fontina cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the sausage until golden brown, stirring to break up the pieces, about 6 minutes. Add half of the onions and the eggplant, season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the vegetables are lightly caramelized and very soft. Add 1 tablespoon garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the ricotta or mascarpone cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and sugar. Stir to combine well.

Lightly grease a deep 9 by 13-inch casserole or lasagna pan and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta shells until just al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Pat shells dry. Stuff the pasta shells with the sausage-eggplant mixture and place in the prepared casserole dish.

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and saute the remaining chopped onions until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until the sauce is reduced in volume by about 1/3, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the basil to the sauce and pour the sauce over the shells in the casserole. Sprinkle with the fontina cheese and the remaining Parmesan. Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the sauce is lightly browned in spots and bubbly around the edges, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Recent Gawkers

Not quite what you're looking for? See more Pasta And Rice / Pasta

Or see more just like this

Comments

cookingforfun 1 year ago said:
It's good an I love eggplant. 5 from me

mamalou 1 year ago said:
My kind of recipe!

twohot 1 year ago said:
Mamalou your welcome

trigger 1 year ago said:
Nice recipe Mamalou love the spinach.
I added this wonderful recipe to the group A Taste of Eggplant.
Five from me

misslizzi 1 year ago said:
Most of my eggplant recipes are vegetarian. I like the idea of making this meaty vegetable even "meatier." Yum!

lunasea 1 year ago said:
Looks and sounds great and I love that cream sauce. Thanks!

jlv1023 1 year ago said:
Love Eggplant, have got to try this it sounds so different,

Thanks
Janet

rescue_ranger 5 months ago said:
TwoHot
Very nice, I love your use of fresh ingredients in your recipe when you make this do you prefer the ricotta or mascarpone cheese and why, just curious
Thanks
Mike

Add a Comment