Do you ever create a certain meal or prepare a special recipe because it reminds you of a favorite time or place? Today’s recipe is a tribute to my second home: Boston. I had 9 wonderful years in that city. One of my favorite Boston foodie treats is and Italian Sausage from Fenway Park. (Did I mention I was about 50 lbs heavier when I lived in Boston?) Eating the classic sandwich on a regular basis will kill you but I have come up with a delicious and tasty way to satisfy the craving. Instead of placing everything in a processed, bleached hot dog bun, I have incorporated another Italian staple: eggplant. My next twist? Two heads of garlic which came out to about 20 cloves. By keeping the cloves whole, in the skin, they slowly roast and caramelize. The end result is a sweet and creamy garlic clove which is the perfect compliment to the tender veggies and crisp sausage.
Herbs de provence is the perfect herb blend because it stands up well to these sturdy ingredients. Don’t have any on hand? No problem – try a little oregano, basil, thyme or rosemary. Dried works well but fresh is great too. Prefer sweet sausage over spicy? Go for it. Want to use pork sausage instead of turkey sausage? Be my guest. Hate garlic? Skip it. The best part about this recipe is that you will fill up on all of the nutritious veggies while still getting your sausage and peppers fix. This concept would work just as well serve over whole wheat penne or with the addition of roasted potatoes. The options are endless.
Enjoy the trip to Fenway Park. Say hello for me.
Your fork is waiting.
Sausage, Eggplant and Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion sliced
- 1 large red pepper sliced
- 1 large eggplant sliced do not peel
- 20 cloves garlic - whole no need to peel!
- 4 Italian turkey sausage links spicy or sweet
- 1 tbs herbs de provence
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees and line a deep baking pan (lasagna size) with tin foil.
- Spray foil with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Add sliced onions, peppers, eggplant and garlic to the bottom of the pan.
- Season with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs de provence and toss well with tongs.
- Pierce sausage links a couple times with a fork and place on top of vegetables.
- Roast until tender and fully cooked, about 45 minutes, stirring around every 15 minutes.
This was really a great dish. I had too many eggplants, too many bell peppers, and a large sausage, and i needed to make lunch. Found this recipe and thought it was too simple to deliver, but we really loved the flavors: the sweet roasted vegetables with the salty sausage and the meatiness of roasted eggplant (not soft and slimy). Will make this again for sure!
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!! Let me know if you try any of my other recipes!! Happy New Year!
My whole family LOVED this dish, except we pretended we ate it at YANKEE Stadium ????. My toddler couldn’t eat it fast enough!!!
hahah I am so happy!!