This recipe came about after tons of fresh produce literally was dumped on my kitchen table.
As you may know, we have a huge garden that feeds us all summer. But, my neighbor also has a huge garden and likes to share his produce with us as well. This usually means I have tons of amazing vegetables any time I want, but usually in pretty big quantities and ALL at ONCE. I came home from running errands to find that my neighbor had brought over the following:
1 baseball bat sized zucchini
1 gigantic eggplant
1 butternut squash
2 bell peppers
5 heirloom tomatoes
At first it was a little overwhelming…the sheer size of the eggplant and the zucchini was comical. I somehow decided that I would try and use everything…all at once…all in one pan. Not sure why, but whatever! It worked. Because of the size and amount of the vegetables I had to work with, I decided that I would make one dinner tonight and one for the freezer. I basically chopped everything up, divided it all in two equal portions, and stuck a plastic bag in the freezer for a quick dinner down the road. If you are going to try this out, please note that I added everything to the freezer bag exactly the same as I did the roasting pan, minus the olive oil. Just make a note on the bag to add that in so you don’t forget.
Roasted veggies with tons of garlic and olive oil with sweet Italian sausage and tomatoes. It really is a match made in heaven. Tons of garlic and olive oil makes anything taste amazing, am I right? I cooked until the veggies and sausage were browned lightly and a bit caramelized. At this point, I realized that the fresh garden tomatoes had cooked down and given off all their juices into the bottom of the pan mixing with the garlic and herbs, creating a really delicious simple sauce. Inspired by the amount of sauce, I decided to serve over pasta, topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese. Everyone loved it, kids cleaned their plates, and best of all I have a whole other meal tucked in the freezer for a hectic night when I don’t have a ton of time to cook. Best impromptu dinner yet!
Enjoy!
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 butternut squash
- 4-5 ripe tomatoes
- 2 bell peppers
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 small red onion
- 1 tbs Italian seasoning
- olive oil
- 8 links sweet Italian Sausage
- Cut all the veggies up into similar sizes and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Toss in herbs and chopped garlic and top with sausage. I removed sausage from the casing and crumbled on top of the veggies. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about an hour, or until veggies are browned and sausage is cooked through. Serve alone, or over pasta or rice. Enjoy!
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