Baked Eggplant Rollatini with Ricotta-Spinach Filling
A rollatini is a a flattened slice of vegetable (or meat) rolled around a filling. Simple, right? Here, crisp thinly sliced eggplant is wrapped around a creamy ricotta-spinach filling brightened with fresh lemon. Easy eggplant rollatini with spinach is a main course dish that'll wow your guests, especially if they're vegetarian.
Servings 6
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 straight eggplants less curvy
- olive oil for drizzling sheet pan
For the ricotta filling
- 8 oz whole milk ricotta can us part-skim if necessary
- 3-4 oz goat cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh baby spinach can use frozen thawed chopped spinach; squeeze until completely dry
- 1 egg
- 1-2 T fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup parmesan cheese divided
- ½ lemon zested
If making homemade sauce (you can use jarred sauce instead)
- 2 lbs fresh tomatoes heirloom, garden, cherry, Roma...pretty much any will do!
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small onion finely chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 6-8 leaves fresh basil julienned
- salt and pepper
- ¼ lb fresh mozzarella torn into pieces
Instructions
For the eggplant
- Preheat oven to 400˚. Gather two large baking sheets.
- Cut the ends off the eggplant. Thinly slice the eggplant lengthwise from top to bottom. Make sure to have exposed edges of skin (it’s prettier). You should get about 6-7 slices per eggplant, about ⅛-¼" thick.2-3 straight eggplants
- Drizzle some olive oil on each baking sheet. Lay slices of eggplant on the sheets and brush the tops with more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.olive oil
- Place in the oven and roast for 8-10 minutes.
Make the ricotta filling
- Blend the ricotta mixture ingredients together including ½ cup of parmesan, goat cheese, chopped spinach, egg, parsley, seasoning and lemon. Set aside.8 oz whole milk ricotta, 3-4 oz goat cheese, ½ cup chopped fresh baby spinach, 1 egg, 1-2 T fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup parmesan cheese , ½ lemon
Make the sauce (or use jarred sauce)
- Core the tomatoes.2 lbs fresh tomatoes
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil.
- Core the tomato removing the center core with a small knife or tomato corer (I got mine from Pampered Chef a while ago).
- Gently squeeze the cored tomato to remove the seeds.
- Make an "X" at the cored end of the tomato with a sharp knife and drop the tomato into the pot of boiling water for 30 seconds tops. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Once cool to the touch, peel the tomato from the top down.
- Take your already peeled tomatoes [see above] and roughly dice them into a medium chop.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and once heated, saute the chopped onion. Once the onion is nice and golden (about 3-5 minutes), add the chopped garlic and saute until you can smell it [about 30 seconds or so].1 Tablespoon olive oil, ½ small onion , 1-2 cloves garlic
- Add the diced tomatoes along with the basil, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to simmer the sauce for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.6-8 leaves fresh basil
Assemble the rollatini
- Preheat the oven to 400˚.
- Spread approximately 1 Tablespoon of ricotta filing down the center of a piece of eggplant. From the short end, roll the eggplant from one end to the other. In a 9x13” pan or oval baking dish, ladle a scoop of sauce. Line the rollatini, seam side down, in the sauce until all the eggplant is used.
- Ladle over more sauce and sprinkle with pieces of fresh mozzarella and remaining parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted, the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden. Enjoy!¼ lb fresh mozzarella, salt and pepper
