Ingredients
The following ingredients have 4 Servings
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large eggplant
- diced (about 3 cups)
- 1 Fresno pepper
- chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Italian chili paste (optional) or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound pasta (I prefer cavatappi)
- A bunch of basil
- Parmesan cheese
- for serving
Instruction
- Place the sausage into a mixing bowl
- Add the wine and mix it into the meat with your hands; set aside
- Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat with the olive oil
- Once hot, add half of the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally until brown
- Season with salt and remove to a plate
- Add additional oil, if needed, along with the remaining eggplant
- Brown and remove
- Add the sausage and cook until brown
- Add the fresno pepper and garlic to the pot, and stir until just fragrant, about 1 minute
- Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and chili paste along with the reserved eggplant; stir to combine
- Add a few sprigs of basil, turn the heat down to low and cook for 25-30 minutes
- While the sauce is cooking, bring a few quarts of salted water to a boil
- Add the pasta and cook to al dente
- Remove the basil from the sauce, add the pasta and toss to coat
- Spoon into bowls and top with fresh basil and some parmesan cheese
