Kathy Boyd's Eggplant and Shrimp Casserole

This is the last recipe in the series on recreating traditional recipes. Be sure to check out the other recipes in the series and the original article.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 to 6 cups of cooked and drained eggplant
cubes (boiled in salted water)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar or 1 teaspoon Sweet 'n' Low
1/4 pound ground Italian sausage, cooked and drained
2 pounds head-on shrimp, peeled and deveined
(or 1 pound cooked crawfish tails)
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Warm the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and bell pepper until soft, but not browned. Add the cooked eggplant; stir until most of the moisture is absorbed. Add the diced tomatoes, Ro-Tel tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Cook until bubbly.

Add the cooked Italian sausage and the shrimp or crawfish. Cook for about five minutes, until the shrimp turn pink.

Stir in the Romano cheese and season to taste with Tony Chachere's. Stir in half of the pepper jack cheese.

Turn the mixture into a large ungreased baking dish, such as a lasagna pan. Top it with the remaining pepper jack cheese. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the top is browned, 30 to 40 minutes.

Note: The unbaked casserole freezes well. Return it to room temperature before baking.