Greek-Style Sausage and Peppers, or Spetzofai, is a simple dish of sausage and peppers, simmered in a zesty tomato-based sauce. Serve the sausage and peppers with rice or crusty bread for an easy autumn weeknight meal!
3cupscubed eggplantabout 1⁄2 large or 1 to 2 Japanese
1teaspooncoarse salt
4tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oildivided
3/4poundfully-cooked pork or chicken smoked sausagessliced
1small yellow onionsliced
1green bell peppercored and sliced
1red bell peppercored and sliced
2clovesgarlicminced
1tablespoontomato paste
1/2teaspoondried oregano
2cupsdiced tomatoesabout 2 to 3 medium
1/4teaspoonsugar
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
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Instructions
Heat the oven to 400°F.
Toss the eggplant with salt in a colander. Set the colander over a bowl to catch any moisture that is drawn out from the eggplant for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the other ingredients.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage slices and brown them on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the sausages to a paper towel-lined plate—keep the remaining oil in the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and peppers to the same skillet and cook them, stirring occasionally, until they’re tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to an 8x8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the eggplant to the skillet. Cook the eggplant, stirring occasionally, until it’s browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to the baking dish.
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, and tomato paste to the skillet, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, 1 cup of water, oregano, sugar, and pepper, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Pour the tomato mixture into the baking dish. Add in the sausages and carefully stir to combine—the dish will be quite full. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes to allow sauce to simmer and flavors to combine. Serve over rice or with crusty bread.