Step 1

Brown sausage meat; drain and place in the crock of a 5-7 quart slow cooker

Step 2

Peel eggplant and cut into cubes about 1-inch big; add to crock.

Step 3

Cut stems off fennel, core and slice thinly, add to crock.

Step 4

Add the garlic, tomato paste, fire roasted tomatoes, water, wine, Italian seasoning, sugar and salt to the crock. Stir well to combine.

Step 5

Cover and cook on high 3-3 1/2 hours, low 6-7 hours

Step 6

Add the uncooked ziti--if you cooked on low, turn it up to high to cook the pasta--stirring so the pasta is submerged in the sausage/eggplant mixture.

Step 7

Cook for 30 minutes on high

Step 8

Stir and sprinkle with the shredded cheese; cover and cook 10 minutes.

Step 9

Uncover and let the baked ziti stand on warm setting for 5-10 minutes before serving.