Baked Ziti With Italian Sausage

Ingredients

• 1 package (19 ounces) JOHNSONVILLE® Fresh Italian Sweet Sausage Links, casings removed or 1 package (16 ounces) JOHNSONVILLE® All Natural Fresh Italian Sweet Ground Sausage
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups ziti pasta, uncooked
• 1 small eggplant, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Instructions

1. In a large skillet, cook and crumble sausage over medium heat until browned and fully cooked; 7-10 minutes. Remove from skillet, place in a bowl and set aside.
2. Prepare ziti according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; cover and set aside.
3. Using the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and cook until tender and lightly browned. Transfer to bowl with sausage. Using the same skillet, cook and stir onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until tender; 3-5 minutes.
4. Pour wine into skillet, increase heat to medium-high and continue to stir until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add tomatoes and reduce heat to medium; simmer for 10 minutes.
5. In the sausage mixture bowl, add cooked pasta, basil, olives, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, salt and pepper; stir to combine ingredients. Transfer mixture to a greased 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
6. Cover and bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes longer, or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.