Sausage Eggplant Boats with Roasted Garlic Feta Alfredo
By filling the inside of these little boats, the eggplant is infused with wonderful flavor, perfectly served with this rich sauce!
The other white cheese. When it comes to Italian cooking, the trophy usually goes to a mozzarella or parmesan cheese. And for good reason-they are delicious, creamy, and fit easily with pasta, garlic and tomatoes (among many more culinary reasons 🙂 ). In this dish, I wanted to balance the neutral eggplant with a bit more bite, and decided to play up the feta cheese. This cheese melts inside the filling, creating a subtle taste, and comes through a bit more in the alfredo, with a unique pairing against the roasted garlic. I like garnishing with a bit more feta to make the flavor prevalent!
I swear….size really doesn’t matter. Eggplants are such a fun produce, from those beautiful white and purple stripes, to huge traditional eggplant, to these little baby versions! I find, like any produce, I will alter how I cook it depending on the size. If I’m using a much larger plant, the recipe itself may not change, but I’d suggest cooking the eggplant ahead of time so it’s tender before adding your filling. These smaller version are great for a quicker meal because of their fast baking time!
Is your garden starting to overflow with this beautiful purple produce?! Try out some of these other ideas:
Eggplant Parmesan with Creamy Sausage Alfredo
Garlic Marinated Eggplant and Mushrooms
Roasted Eggplant and Olive Salad
Spiced Lentils and Pine Nuts over Roasted Eggplant
Italian Sausage Eggplant Boats
Ginger Eggplant and Mushroom Stir-Fry
Summer is here and I am LOVING trying out these seasonal ingredients in my kitchen! Follow along as I search for farmers markets and fun ways to cook creatively with what the week produces!
Sausage Eggplant Boats with Roasted Garlic Feta Alfredo
Equipment
- Vegetable Spiralizer
- Skillet
- Kitchen knife
- Baking Dish
- Tin Foil
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Sausage (could use Italian spiced)
- 4 baby Eggplant (any size will work)
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
- 8-10 Mushrooms I used baby bella
- 1 small Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 handful Spinach
- 2 tbs Tomato Sauce
- 1/3 cup Italian Cheese
- 1/4 cup Feta
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 6 cloves Garlic (leave skin on)
- 2 medium Zucchini (for noodles to serve)
- Salt and Pepper
Sauce
- 1/2 cup Stock
- 1/3 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/3 cup Italian Cheese
- 1/4 cup Feta Cheese
Instructions
- In skillet, heat oil and add sausage. Seasoning with oregano, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning if using a spiced sausage.
- Add chopped onion, chopped mushrooms and minced garlic and cook until meat is done.
- Add spinach and tomato sauce, stirring until wilted.
- Add Italian and feta cheese and turn off heat, carefully turning until combined without creating a sauce.
- Slice eggplant in half and hollow out the center, creating 'boats'. Place in baking sheet and fill with sausage mixture.
- In same baking sheet, add cherry tomatoes and skin on garlic, tossing with olive oil, salt and pepper, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper to coat. Bake all at 350 for about 40 minutes covered with tin foil.
- Remove from oven and take off the tin foil. Carefully with a utensil, remove the garlic cloves and set aside to cool slightly. Place the baking pan back in the oven uncovered to cook while making the sauce.
- During baking time, use the vegetable spiralizer to create zucchini noodles. Set aside.
- In skillet, warm stock and squeeze the roasted garlic cloves in. Using a plastic spatula, lightly mash them to open them up, still leaving some structure.
- As stock begins to bubble, add heavy cream. When that is also hot, add both cheeses, stirring well to combine.
- Add salt and pepper, reduce heat, and stir until thickens.
- Plate raw zucchini noodles with a few eggplant boats, roasted tomatoes and topped with feta alfredo. Garnish with additional feta. Enjoy!
