Eggplant Rollatini
It’s Sunday Supper time and with eggplants being in peak season, we thought it was the perfect time to share one of our favorite eggplant recipes- Eggplant Rollatini. There’s no breading or frying of the eggplant like an Eggplant Parmigiana but yet lots of the same flavors! This recipe is gluten and grain free, too, if that’s your jam. The key to this recipe is to peel and very thinly slice the eggplant, then cook the slices in a skillet before filling them and rolling them up. We use pesto to perfectly flavor the filling, and the addition of pine nuts gives it an unexpected but welcomed crunch. Not into eggplant? You can always use zucchini instead. Don’t forget to whip up our garlic bread to serve on the side 💫
1 large eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise (we aim for about 1/4 inch thick)
Olive Oil
2 cups marinara (we suggest Raos)
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (for topping)
For the filling:
2 tablespoons of pesto
1/3 cup of mozzarella
1/3 cup of parmigiana
1 cup of ricotta
1/4 cup pine nuts
You can sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let them sit for about 15 minutes if you desire. We do not find the step to be 100% necessary but it does prevent the eggplant from soaking up as much oil during the sauté process and it takes away some of the natural bitterness.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Warm 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the eggplant slices about four minutes on each side until the eggplant looks cooked through. It will look softer, and darker, and a little bit jammy. Remove eggplant from the skillet.
Mix together all filling ingredients, season with salt and fresh black pepper.
Place about 2 Tablespoons filling on the bottom of each eggplant slice and roll them up. Place them in a baking pan (a 9 inch baking pan should be about right). Top with the marinara sauce and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. You can turn the oven to broil for a minute or two at the end to get an extra golden crunchy crust.
