Sausage, Eggplant, and Peppers

Eggplant deniers, listen up!  A week or so ago I got a text from my mom.  She had a recipe that belonged on the blog.  She told me about a sheet pan dinner she’s been making for a while now that my dad LOVES.  And after hearing what she does, I can certainly see why.

She cooks Conecuh sausage, eggplant, bell peppers, and onions on a sheet pan.  She adds salt and pepper.  The sausage renders some beautiful flavorful fat which the roasting eggplant soaks right  up.  The eggplant gets sweet and a little spicy, and the peppers and onions perfume everything on the pan the way peppers and onions do.  The smoky aromatic flavors all mingle and meld together and it’s so good!

Sausage, eggplant, and peppers are a classic combo in Mediterranean cooking.  Mom had eggplant and bell peppers from her garden, but I had to buy mine.  My parents grow the small, skinny, Japanese Ichiban eggplant which I really like.  I used American globe eggplant, which is the kind in the grocery store.  It was fine.

I didn’t ask my mother what color bell pepper she used, but I used red.  It’s what I had in the produce drawer.  I’m guessing she used a green bell pepper because that’s what they usually grow.  You can use whatever color you have.  I used a yellow onion.

In addition to salt and pepper, I drizzled the vegetables with a little olive oil and tossed on some Italian seasoning.  The recipe is very forgiving!  I can see adding potatoes, tomatoes, or zucchini.  The real trick is to spread everything out with a little space between the pieces so it all roasts and gets crispy edges.  Don’t be afraid of a little char here and there.  That’s flavor!

Mom recently served her Sausage, Eggplant, and Peppers with pink eyed peas.  I love pink eyed peas, but didn’t have any.  What I had was a little corn I needed to cook.  So I served it with fresh corn and garlic bread.  So easy, so delicious.  For next time I’m thinking lemon basmati rice.

Leftovers were fantastic on a flatbread with feta cheese, and run under the broiler.

Mamma Mia! 

Print Recipe

Sausage, Eggplant, and Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 1 bell pepper, in 1" pieces
• 1 medium globe eggplant or 4 small Japanese eggplant, in 1" pieces
• olive oil, salt, pepper, and (optional) Italian seasoning
• 1 lb. smoked sausage, preferably Conecuh, in 1" diagonal slices

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°. Cover a sheet pan with foil.
• Put the onion, pepper, and eggplant on the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning if using. Add the sausage pieces to the vegetables on the pan. Spread everything out in a single layer.
• Bake for 50 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the eggplant and sausage are browning at the edges.