Aunt Rocky’s Eggplant and Sausage Casserole

Use a 12-inch oven safe skillet or dutch oven to keep this recipe a one-dish meal. If you don’t have an oven save skillet, grease an 8″ x 8″ baking dish and set aside.

Peel the eggplant and slice into about 1/4 inch thick slices. Lay in a single layer on paper towels, sprinkle both sides lightly wth salt. Let rest on counter for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour, if possible) to allow some of the moisture to sweat out. Blot with paper towels, pressing firmly, to get out as much moisture as possible. Cut the eggplant down into cubes.

While the eggplant is sweating, cook the sausage in the large skillet or Dutch oven you will use for this dish, leaving it somewhat chunky. Remove to bowl until needed.

In the same pan, cook the bacon until crispy, and set aside to cool. Reserve the bacon grease in the pan. Turn off heat until you are ready to proceed with the eggplant.

Once the eggplant has sweated and is cut up, heat bacon grease in the large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the eggplant. Cover and allow to cook until the eggplant is starting to become tender. Stir every few minutes. This will take about 10–15 minutes, depending on the size of the chunks.

Add diced onion and mushrooms. Leave uncovered and continue cooking until onions are opaque and mushrooms have released their juice. Add garlic, cook 1 additional minute.

Add cooked sausage, sun-dried tomato pesto, Italian seasoning, basil, crumbled bacon, and half of the shredded Parmesan. Stir to coat everything well. If you are using a baking dish, transfer the mixture to that now.

Top with tomato slices and remaining shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake about 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Allow to rest about 10 minutes before serving.

Leftovers may be frozen.

Nutrition estimates are calculated per serving with My Fitness Pal’s online recipe analyzer. If you make any changes to the ingredients, your results may differ. The recipe is stored there and available to MFP users for logging in their food diaries.

Calories 463, Total Fat 33 g, Saturated Fat 14 g, Sodium 1547 mg, Potassium 337 mg, Total Carbohydrate 13 g, Dietary Fiber 5 g, Net Carbs 8 g, Sugars 7 g, Protein 26 g. Macros: 69% fats, 24% protein, 7% carbs.

© October 17, 2017 Roxana Lopez for Aunt Rocky’s

For more low lchf/keto recipes and cooking tips, look for Aunt Rocky’s Low Carb Recipes & Tips Group on Facebook, or follow me on Pinterest at auntrocky2.

I don’t get any commission or kickback for products I use or mention in my recipes. Brand names are included only to assure a similar outcome to mine, and more accurately assess nutritional estimates, which are based on exact ingredients I used.