My favorite Italian flavors, combined into one cheesy, flavorful dish. This Baked Penne with Eggplant and Italian Sausage will give you leftovers that you can’t wait to eat.
Pasta is one of my absolute favorite meals. Maybe it’s the Sicilian in me, but I could eat spaghetti, gnocchi, penne, orecchiette, tagliatelle, any day, everyday.
And, along with this intense craving for pasta, I’ve been thinking a lot about the trip to Italy I took with my family a couple years ago. ‘Thinking’, as in experiencing complete and total nostalgia. I still remember the day we left. We were sitting in a chapel in Rome (you know, since there’s one on every corner), listening to the bells chime. I sat amongst empty pews, gazing at the beauty surrounding me; hand-painted walls, a glowing alter… I didn’t want to leave. I soaked it all in as best as I could, while simultaneously day dreaming of when I would come back.
Read about my adventures in Sicily and Rome:
Taormina, Sicily
Cefalu, Sicily
Rome, Day One
Rome, Day Two
Italian food is one of my favorites to cook. Much like the hispanic way of cooking, the ingredients are wholesome, simple, yet packed with flavor. Olive oil, vegetables, garlic, herbs. Everything is fresh, too. When we visited one of my father’s cousins house in Sicily, we were taken back by the stunning garden right in their back yard. Herbs GALORE. Grapes, lemons, figs, oranges. I know this might be more typical in, say, California, but for a suburban Florida girl whose backyard barely has room for a cart wheel, this was heaven.
I decided to feed my craving with this dish. A simple, cozy, cheesy penne bake. Coincidentally, the temperature outside plummeted as I was cooking this, so it was the perfect cuddle-up-and-enjoy type of meal.
This meal can be easily made into a vegetarian dish by removing the Italian sausage. Additionally, vegan cheese can replace the mozzarella and ricotta to make it vegan.
[Tweet “Italian flavors baked with cheesy goodness: Baked Penne with Eggplant”]
- 1 eggplant, diced
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 lb penne
- 1 cup part skim shredded mozzarella
- 4 tbsp skim ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2-3 Italian sausages
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil
- Turn your broiler to HI.
- Heat about 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add sausages and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until completely browned.
- Remove sausages from the heat. Slice the sausages into about 1/2 inch slices. Place back in the saute pan with about 1 tsp of olive oil. Saute until cooked through.
- In a large saute pan or dutch oven, heat about 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Place the eggplant in the pan with 1/4 cup water. Saute until the eggplant is soft. Keep an eye to make sure they don’t become soggy (eggplant hold a lot of moisture).
- Add the tomato sauce, garlic, white wine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Turn the heat to low and let simmer.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of hot water to boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente or desired pasta texture is reached.
- Add penne with 1/2 cup of pasta water to the eggplant/sauce mixture.
- Add ricotta to the pasta/sauce and combine well.
- In a greased 13×9 baking dish, pour the pasta mixture and level with a spatula.
- Add the sausage and artichokes and mix in with the pasta.
- Evenly pour the breadcrumbs atop the mixture.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly on top.
- Place in the broiler for 3-5 minutes, depending on the strength of your oven, or until the cheese begins to brown and bubble.
[Tweet “Melted cheese, zesty Italian sausage, sweet eggplant. YEP.”]
Your turn:
What has been your favorite place that you’ve ever visited?
Which cuisine is your favorite to cook at home?
I’m all about those fresh Italian flavors too because I am also Italian. There is nothing like eating fresh homemade pasta in Italy, it just tastes so much better over there. This is such a tasty weeknight dinner that I could see myself enjoying, thanks for sharing!
Where in Italy is your family from?! And you’re right. Their fresh pasta is amazing.
I LOVE Italy…I LOVE Italian food…I LOVE this dish! Looks so yummy…I’ll be right over! XOXO
Haha thanks girlll
These photos are beautiful! We went to Italy a few years ago and I loved that all of the ingredients were so fresh. Like you could see the vines and crops from some of the restaurants.
Yeah exactly. You know just where your food came from. Not so much in FL except for some rare gems!
This looks insanely delicious. I actually almost studied abroad in Italy! It was between that and Australia. Ultimately, Australia won out, mainly because of weather 😉 But I’ve been trying to convince the husband that we should go to the Mediterranean for our honeymoon. I’ve heard amazing things about Greece.
That’s so crazy you say that because I had 3 options in college: New Zealand (you said Australia so it reminded me), Fiji (wtf) and London. I never went *tear* but I bet it would’ve been wild to go to any of them. I bet Australia was awesome!!! You should do a post about studying abroad
This looks like the ultimate comfort food! Pasta is one of my favorite foods, you can do so many different flavor combos with it. I must try this soon!!
Exactly!! It’s so versatile. Do you have a particular favorite type of pasta? I love traditional spaghetti
I’ve always been an angel hair girl, but I’ve started to use fusilli more! Fusilli, broccoli, marinara and cheese is my go-to. Ahhhhh pastaaa…
Can’t wait to try a vegan or dairy free version of this, cuz it sounds amazing!
And I’ve been making a lot more Caribbean meals at home recently, probably because I just got back from vacation at home in Trinidad. I’m having serious homesickness, but all the yummy food is definitely helping 😀
There’s this restaurant in Gainesville (where I went to college) that does a vegan eggplant rollatini with spaghetti squash and cashew cheese and it’s freaking AMAZING. Your comment reminded me of that. First time I’d had cashew cheese and I fell in love!
This dish just looks like comforting delicious goodness. Baked penne is one of my all-time favorite dishes, and I love the addition of eggplant – all of my favorite things in one place! Also, can we just talk about how awesome your sense of style is? Love that outfit from your trip (and all your outfits on snap cause I’m a creeper)
Mine too. I also have this thing where I eat pasta in a mug and it feels 10z more cozy lol I’m weird. And thank you so much! I learned the hard way that those shoes weren’t the best choice for an all day everyday walking trip
haha
simple. classic. delicious! By far the most favorite place I’ve ever visited was Italy. Best. Food Ever
Love Italian food and I too visited Italy a couple of years ago and was blown away by the fresh ingredients and delicious food! It’s made me yearn to somehow find a way to live abroad, even if just for a month or two! I’d love the chance to shop at the fresh markets each day and get to use the best quality, local ingredients…ah, that would be lovely
This pasta looks insanely delicious and I can imagine how comforting it would be on a chilly day. Bookmarking this recipe for later!
Italian eggplant dishes are my JAM!! This look so so good, and I see what you mean about the broiled cheese
XOXO
This takes me right back to my summer in Rome & Florence years ago! The pasta was the best I have ever had. I love my mom’s pasta the best — my family is Italian also so it’s what we were raised on
Can’t wait to try this out!
Homemade pasta beats boxed pasta out of the parkkk. I didn’t want to come home because the pasta was so good in Italy LOL