This is an easy one pan dish to make, and it goes quickly so I suggest you get all the items prepped and ready to add into the pan before you start the cooking.  Also this dish can get too salty so even though chef’s say to salt each layer I suggest you hold back on the salt and taste it before you add too much (believe me I learned that the hard way, I had generously salted each layer and the dish was good but way too salty)

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant – cut in half and the pulp removed from the skin carefully if you plan to serve it the skin – pulp cut into bit size pieces
• 1/2 large red onion – diced
• 4 to 5 Roma tomatoes – diced
• 1 package Uncooked Silican Chicken Sausage with Tomato and Romano Cheese (from Trader Joe’s) – meat removed from casing
• 1 – 14 oz can of artichoke hearts – drained and chopped
• 6 oz baby spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in large skillet.  Add onion and garlic to the heated oil with about 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt.  Saute for about 3 minutes.  Add the sausage meat to the pan and crumble into pieces.  Cook the sausage mixture for about 5 to 6 minutes (until almost completely cooked).  Add eggplant to the pan along with the basil, cilantro and thyme…cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the spinach, tomatoes and artichoke pieces and cook until the spinach is wilted and the tomatoes & artichoke are heated thru.  Now taste for salt and pepper and add to taste.

This dish is now ready to be served in the eggplant skins or try it over brown rice pasta.