Italian Sausage Eggplant Rollatini

This recipe proves why I would make a terrible vegetarian. I had ever intention of a healthy, meat free meal, until I realized I had bacon and sausage!

Having never had eggplant rollatini until tonight, I cannot say whether or not this would taste anything like a traditional rollatini, but I will be making it again.

Ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
5 slices of bacon (or panchetta) cut small
2 links of mild Italian sausage
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I use Classico roasted garlic)
1/2 cup riccota cheese
1 eggplant (pealed and sliced into approximately 1/4 inch thick slices)
2 cups of flour
2 eggs
1 tbs herbs of choice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1) In a skillet saute sausage, 1/2 of he diced onion and two cloves of garlic until onion is tender. Remove the sausage mixture from pan when cooked and let cool in a medium sized bowl.

2) At the same time, In a sauce pan cook bacon with the remaining garlic and onion until the bacon is cooked through and beginning to crisp up. When the bacon is done, add the jar of spaghetti sauce and red pepper flakes, turn on low.

3) Mix ricotta and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese with the sausage mixture. Set aside.

4) In the same skillet you cooked the sausage, heat up about 1/2 inch of oil (I used canola). Whisk two eggs, a tablespoon of water and the herbs (I used pre-made herb mixture from Kroger for this) and set aside. In another bowl mix flour, salt and pepper. To bread the eggplant, coat in flour, dip in egg mixture, and coat again in flour. Fry until golden brown.

5) Stuff a large tablespoon of sausage and cheese mixture into each sliced eggplant and roll. Place seam side down in a baking dish. Pour tomato sauce mix over the top (not too much, just enough to coat the top, but not fall over the sides) and top with the remaining cheese.

(Later in the week I'll mix the left over sauce with cream, vodka, cooked chicken and pasta for a quick vodka sauce.)