Eggplant Rollatini
This Italian-American staple of lightly fried eggplant strips is filled with a creamy ricotta mixture and topped with tomato sauce for a delicious savory main dish.
Eggplant Rollatini
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Eggplant Rollatini
This Italian-American staple of lightly fried eggplant strips is filled with a...
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Mad Hungry, May 2011
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Ingredients
- 2 whole eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise, about 1/4 inch thick, to get about 12 slices
- 2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
- 1- to 1 1/2- pound piece of fresh mozzarella (1/2 cup to be shredded, the rest will be sliced)
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (plus extra for sprinkling)
- 1/2 pound sliced prosciutto or ham (optional)
- 1 egg white
- 2-3 cups prepared tomato sauce, homemade or store-bought
- 1 loaf Italian bread, for serving
Directions
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In a large skillet, fry eggplant slices in olive oil until eggplant is flexible for rolling, about 3 minutes per side. (Eggplant can also be roasted in the oven: Brush slices with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Roast in 400-degree oven for 20 minutes, flipping eggplant halfway through cooking.)
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While eggplant is frying/baking, make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of fresh ricotta, 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of fresh shredded mozzarella, 1 egg white, salt and pepper, and mix well.
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Drain eggplant on paper towel if fried. When eggplant has cooled about 10 minutes, begin the rolling process. On each slice, put about 2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese mixture. Spread it on the eggplant. Next, place a slice of ham/prosciutto on top of the cheese, if using, and then roll. Repeat with all eggplant slices.
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Coat the bottom of a deep baking dish with tomato sauce. Start placing the rolled eggplants at the bottom of the pan. When pan is filled, put some sauce on the top of the eggplant. Sprinkle some more grated cheese on top. Finally, cut slices of fresh mozzarella cheese to place on top of each rollatini.
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Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes. (If the eggplant was baked, 30 minutes is better.) The cheese should be melted and a little bubbling should be going on. Serve.
Delicious! I'm on a low-carb diet, and miss lasagna terribly. This was pretty close! I baked the eggplant, and used low-carb sauce. Will make again, often.
Haven't tried this yet, but my daughter has a pretty uncomfortable sensitivity to cheese (isn't that just AWFUL??). I have a stuffed eggplant recipe that is like twice-baked potatoes, where the eggplant flesh is mixed with couscous and other things and stuffed back into the shell. I'm thinking this might work with that sort of thing -- couscous, soy yogurt, other yummies like raisins and artichoke hearts as the filling. Any other suggestions for the poor souls with tummy issues?
This was EXCELLENT! I made a roasted marinara sauce first to use in the dish and then I roasted the Eggplant (per the recipe) rather than cooking on the stovetop. I've made Eggplant on the stove and it tends to soak up lots of olive oil. The option in the recipe to roast it turned out to be a good one. Then it was easy to make the Rollatinis and bake them. My husband and I thought this recipe was a great success... definitely a keeper!!
I should not have even tried this recipe: i am lactose intolerant! But it sounded so GOOD! So I made it... but nada. It just didn't work. The flavor of eggplant is overwhelmed by all the cheese. My husband LOVEs Italian food and cheese in particular... but did not enjoy this recipe. Ah well.