LAYERED SAUSAGE EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

1 pound bulk turkey or pork Italian sausage*
1/4 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
3 ounces provolone or mozzarella cheese
1 medium eggplant, peeled
2 ounces Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups spaghetti sauce

Spray 12 x 8-inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray. Cook sausage over medium-high heat in medium skillet, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Set aside.

Position mini bowl and mini blade in work bowl. With processor running, add parsley through feed tube. Process until finely chopped, 8 to 10 seconds. Set aside.

Position reversible slicing/shredding disc in work bowl to shred. Shred provolone cheese. Set aside.

Reverse disc to slice. Add eggplant cut to fit feed tube. Process to slice. Set aside.

Position multipurpose blade in work bowl. With machine running, add Parmesan cheese. Process to finely chop, 20 to 30 seconds. Add ricotta, egg, and pepper. Process until well blended, 20 to 30 seconds.

Spread 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce over bottom of baking dish. Cover with half of eggplant and half of sausage. Spread with ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle with parsley. Cover with remaining eggplant, sausage, and sauce.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with provolone cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and eggplant is tender.

*If desired, sausage can be omitted for a vegetarian main dish.

Yield: 6 servings
Source: KitchenAid (Model KFP730, KFP720 AND KFP710) 7 cup food processor manual