Ingredients
Baked Ziti
4-6 tbsp. olive oil
1-1.5 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small eggplant, cut into ½" cubes
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup dry red wine
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 28-oz cans of crushed tomatoes
¼ cup chopped fresh basil or approximately 3 tsp. dried basil
1 lb. ziti, cooked al dente
1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives
3 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella
Kosher salt and pepper
Preparation
Put rack in top 1/3 of the oven, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brown sausage 5-6 minutes, remove to plate. Sauté eggplant in drippings, approximately 5-6 minutes. Remove to plate. Sauté onion 5-6 minutes, then add garlic for one minute. Add wine, cook 3 minutes on medium high, scraping up bits from bottom of pan. Add tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add sausage, pasta, basil, olives, 2 cups mozzarella and tomato sauce to bowl with eggplant. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to deep dish cooking pan. Sprinkle liberally on top with mozzarella. Cover, bake 25-30 minutes. Uncover, broil on high for 5 minutes. Serve.
