the baked eggplant parmesan boats with sausage yummy

 ingredients

3 medium (16 oz each) white eggplants stems trimmed off and halved lengthwise

4 links (8.5 oz?) sweet Italian chicken sausage casings removed (I used Premio)

1/2 small onion finely diced

3 cloves garlic crushed

2 1/3 cups crushed tomatoes

6 basil leaves chopped (plus more for garnish)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

5 teaspoons grated Pecorino Romano

directions

preheat the oven to 500°F

bring a large pot of water to a boil

drop the eggplant into the boiling water and cook 5minutes (poking it with a spoon so they stay submerged) remove with a slotted spoon and set them on paper towels on the counter

meanwhile brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up while it cooks into smaller pieces. add the onions and garlic and cook on a medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes until onions are translucent. add 1 cup chopped eggplant and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cup crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook 2 to 5 minutes. remove from heat and stir in fresh basil

pour 1/5 cup of crushed tomatoes on the bottom of a 8 x 13 baking dish and place the eggplant boats on top season the eggplant with salt and divide the sausage and sauce evenly among the 5 eggplant boats

top each with 3 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese and 2 teaspoon each of Pecorino Romano cheese cover with foil and bake 30 minutes until cheese is melted and eggplant is cooked through