Photo: Eggplant Rollatini Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized eggplants (about 4 pounds total)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Can vegetable spray
- 32 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 8 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 20 basil leaves, chiffonaded
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 2 cups fresh tomato sauce, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat the grill pan and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place a rack over a large baking sheet. Cut the 2 ends off the eggplant. Cut the eggplants lengthwise, into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange eggplant slices onto rack. Sprinkle with sea salt to help remove excess moisture and any bitterness from the eggplants. Set aside for about 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off the salt from the eggplants and pat dry with a towel. Spray hot grill pan liberally with vegetable spray and then place eggplant slices on the grill until lightly browned on each side and tender, about 4 minutes per side. Remove slices from the grill pan and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until lightly scrambled. Mix the ricotta in with the egg. Add mozzarella, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts and gently combine. Fold in basil just to combine. Do not overmix.
Place a tablespoon of the cheese mixture on 1 end of the eggplant and roll up tightly. Place the eggplant rollatini into a greased (with olive oil) 13 by 9-inch baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining eggplant. Evenly distribute the tomato sauce on top of the eggplant rollatini. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 5 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 minutes. When cooked, drizzle the top with extra-virgin olive oil.
- Simple Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.
Yield: 6 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Ease of Preparation: Easy
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By susi0430
on December 27, 2011
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Absolutely amazing! Rave reviews!
By jennifer_d_2958...
Harmony, PA
on December 17, 2011
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Loved this recipe. So much easier and healthier than breading and frying. Added chopped fresh spinach to the ricotta mix and added some ground beef (prepped with sauted onion and fennel seed to each roll. Slicing consistently is the key to getting the right texture. Baked for 45 mins
By hadde1220
weymouth, MA
on September 12, 2011
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I was very skeptical about grilling the eggplant rather than breading and frying but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a great healthier alternative to breaded and fried. I had a ton of extra cheese filling, next time I'll know where to scale the recipe. I did use the pine nuts but I really didn't notice them all that much. A few pieces were tough but I attribute that more to my uneven cutting (i cut a few pcs thick. I wonder if that is the issue some are having w/ it being too chewy. Also, I didn't use Giada's sauce recipe, had my own so used that and served over pasta that was dressed w/ olive oil, basil and parmesan and it was delicious.
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