Baked Angel Hair Timbale

I have been in the mood for Italian food lately. Usually when I crave it, I look through Giada's recipes. She never fails me with her wonderful recipes that are on the lighter side. As always, I make fat substitutions, even though her recipes don't seem to be laden with it.

Source: Giada's Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

1/2 c. plus 1/4 c. olive oil ( I used 1 tbsp)
6 Japanese eggplants ( about 2 pounds total), cut into 1" cubes ( I used a mixture of zucchini and mushrooms)
salt and pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 pound turkey sausage, casings removed
1/3 c. dry red wine ( I omitted)
3 c. marinara sauce ( see recipe below)
1 tsp crushed dried red pepper flakes
8 oz angel hair pasta
1 (17 oz) package of frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1 Ib mozzarella cheese, diced ( I used 1/4 c. shredded)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese ( I used 1/2 cup)
1 9" springform pan

Directions:
Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a large frying pan over medium -high heat. Add half of the eggplant cubes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with s&p. Saute the eggplant until it is golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium.
Add half of the garlic and saute until it is tender, about 2 minutes longer. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the eggplant to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining 1/4 c. of oil and the remaining eggplant and garlic. Add to the bowl with the first batch.
Add the sausage and wine to the same frying pan. Cook over medium high heat until the wine evaporates and the sausage is brown, breaking the sausage into pieces with the back of the spoon, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, marinara and red pepper flakes to the bowl with the eggplant, and toss to combine.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Drain. Toss the pasta with the eggplant mixture. Cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out 1 pastry sheet on a floured surface to a 13 1/2" square. Transfer to a 9' springform pan, allowing the excess pastry to hang over the rim. Add the cheeses to the cooled eggplant mixture and toss to combine. Spoon the mixture into the pan. Roll out the second sheet of pastry and place it over the pasta filling. Pinch the edges of the pastry to seal. Trim the overhanging pastry edges to about 1". Fold the pastry edges to form a decorative border. Cut a slit in the center of the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake until the pastry is brown and puffed on top, about 1 hour and 30 minutes). Let stand for 20 minutes before cutting. Remove the pan sides and serve. Serves about 8 -10. Note: Check the pastry after it cooks about 1 hour. Mine only took about 1 hour to Cook.

Quick Marinara Sauce
Source: Giada's Family Dinners
Makes about 6 cups

2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes in juice
1 bunch of fresh basil, stemmed
1/2 c. EVOO ( I used 1 tbsp)
2 small onions ( I used 1 medium)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano ( I used Italian Seasoning)
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Directions:
In a blender, puree the tomatoes with their juice and the basil until almost smooth. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until very tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, oregano and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to medium and continue simmering until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. ( The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. If storing for future use, cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.