Penne with Sausage, Eggplant, and Feta

My daughter, who doesn't eat meat, and I made this together. In place of the sausage, we added cut-up mushrooms. And, since she prefers goat cheese, we used that in place of the feta cheese. It came out very good, and leftovers tasted even better.

Followed proportions, subbing turkey Italian sausage.  Prepped the eggplant with tip from Serious Eats all-American eggplant parm (slice lengthwise and salt, put on doubled paper towels, top with doubled paper towels and microwave for 3min to remove some of the water).  Added about a half-cup of leftover arrabiatta sauce to use it up.  Served with spinach-mushroom salad.

This recipe was easy to make and very tasty. I used one cup of the pasta water to make the sauce thinner.   I'll definitely make this again.  

Five stars because it was good and really easy. However, I did think it was a little "single note" as written, so I added red pepper flakes (as others suggested) and about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. of fennel seeds, which made it a lot more interesting without any extra work.

I thought this was a quick, solid recipe. I served it with broccoli. My family enjoyed it and I would make it again during the week.

Really flavorful and easy to prepare - quick for a weeknight meal. Next time, I'd probably add some sliced mushrooms.

I used vegetarian sausage, since I'm vegetarian, and my family LOVED this recipe! The textures and different tastes compliment each other so well.

It was okay. I love feta but the flavor got lost in this dish. Also, the leftovers were aweful.

I used Jimmy Dean's light pork sausage to reduce the fat. I loved that this recipe had very few ingredients and could made up in no time at all. I cut my eggplant in pieces that were a little too small and will make them bigger next time. I think I may add more tomatoes, or more paste or reduce the pasta b/c it was a little dry. Otherwise a real keeper, and I loved the addition of eggplant. I love eggplant but don't know of a lot of recipes that use it.... this was great.

My dad and I both loved this! Surprisingly easy to make, does indeed make a ton - four servings, pfft, more like six at least - and really very very good. Be a little cautious when determining when your penne's done - mine was fine when I drained it, but then I added all the hot and semi-liquidy stuff and it cooked a little more and got a little mushier than I'd have liked. Still excellent, though!

Very good. Quick to prepare. Used regular Italian sausage patties (what I had). Browned and crumbled sausage before adding eggplant. Added 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper to spice it up as other reviews suggested. Didn't have fresh parsley so I used dried and I decided to wilt in some fresh baby spinach leaves at the end. Everything really worked. Will definitely keep this one.

I liked this recipe quite a bit, but next time I'm going to use 3 tablespoons of tomato paste.

Wonderful recipe !!!!; I love it

This was so amazingly quick easy and delicious. My husband does not like eggplant so gave it the evil eye then proceeded to eat two huge servings!

I did not expect this recipe to be as easy and delicious as it was. We've never eaten eggplant before. Loved everything about this recipe! I added a little water to make it easier to stir in the tomato paste and then let it reduce a bit. Otherwise, prepared exactly as written. My two year old cleaned his plate and had seconds. All through the meal he kept saying "I love this kind of mac & cheese!"

YUM! This is a definite keeper. I even really screwed it up, but look forward to making it again: after a open a can of tomato paste I freeze it in tablespoon portions because I never use it all. They thaw out nice and keep me from throwing away food! Anyway, apparently I had done the same with some chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, and that's what I threw in to make this meal. By the time I figured it out, it was too late. The dish itself was almost too hot but the flavor was amazing! I may even consider adding one of the chipotle peppers next time, as well as the tomato paste...

Great dish for family with small kids. The sausage is not too spicy for my 4 year old and my kids love the eggplant and feta combination. I often make this dish for friends.

What a great dish for using fall garden produce. I used fresh tomatoes, eggplant & parsley from the garden. Left the skin on the eggplant (my favorite part) and it gave the dish some nice color. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions in using spicy sausage.

This was excellent, and very easy. My husband and son both loved it too (very rare that we all agreed). This is a definite keeper. Thanks for sharing!

Really easy. Used 1 lb spicy Italian sausage, 2 cans of stewed tomatoes(pureed), and 4 table spoons of tomatoe paste to double sauce and left all other ingredients the same. Even my 5 year old loved it! (his version did not have parsley as he green averse.)

I have never liked eggplant before and this recipe made me a big fan. I did use spicy turkey sausage like some of the reviewers suggested, if anything I feel like it made it better.

This is excellent! I used Italian Turkey Sausage b/c it was what I had on hand. Knowing that the turkey would cook quickly and reading that 5 min was probably not long enough for the eggplant, I cooked the eggplant for a bit first and then added the sausage when it was getting tender. Making this and freezing while there is still good eggplant to be had

This was good and I would definitely make it again. I used reduced fat breakfast sausage, but should have followed the reviews and used a spicy sausage for a kick. Also, I thought it was a little dry and used some of pasta water. The feta cheese was a nice compliment to the dish!

I love this dish. The feta and herbs are great. I make it three times a month. I typically use more tomatoes than the recipe calls for.

I was very impressed with this recipe. This was my first time having eggplant so I chooped it very small and was surprised with the flavor. I used the extra feta to put in a side salad.

I may have rated this higher if I'd used the spicy sausage that was recommended. Store only had mild, so used that and it was not as tasty or spicy as I'd have liked. However, I love egg plant, so was happy with the recipe and just added a little extra s & p on the plate. Will definitely make again.

I had to cook the eggplant a bit longer than called for, but otherwise followed the recipe without changes. This made a good hearty dinner served with some steamed broccoli on the side. The portions are very generous. It reheated well in the microwave for lunch the next day, too.

I just made this and was happy with the results but will make some changes with the next batch. I thought the eggplant wasn't tender enough and that there was too much of it so will reduce the amount and increase the saute time.

Very good recipe. Served w/a side of brocolli rabe. I used spicy Italian sausage, as suggested by others, b/c that's what I usually have in the freezer. It seemed to make about 5-6 servings, rather than 4 so be prepared or make about half the pasta recommended. The sauce is almost good enough to eat on its own so next time we'll just cut the amount of pasta. Definitely a keeper.

I used Trader Joe's Chicken Breakfast Sausage instead of the pork sausage. It was delicious! Great dish!

This is a great meal. Made everything the same except added veggie chipotle sausage.

Easy to fix and delicious. Took almost no time to prepare and the combination of sausage and eggplant was great. Definitely a keeper! Good for company or just the family.

I've made this recipe several times and even given some to a friend and she loved it also. Easy, quick and delicious. What could be better.