Simplified Eggplant Rollatini
Something about fall makes me crave eggplant. Just me? Well, even if so, reading about this dish may cause you to share my craving! This is an easy take on the classic Italian dish. Healthier than its cousin, Eggplant Parmesan, but easier and quicker than stuffing & rolling the eggplant slices as the dish usually requires. It can even be made in your toaster oven! This can be served as a main with a green salad or pasta, or as a side dish to accompany other Italian favorites.
Serves: Serves 4 as a main dish; reduce servings to ½ portions if using as a side Cooking time: 15-20 min.
Ingredients
Olive oil spray
8 Pinwheel Fresh Frozens Grilled Eggplant Planks
¾ cup ricotta cheese (whole milk or part-skim)
Handful of fresh basil leaves OR small jar of basil pesto
1 garlic clove
Jar of Mom’s Special Marinara Sauce (or other preferred tomato sauce)
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt & pepper
Instructions
-Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees (360 degrees if using a convection oven)
-Spray a baking sheet lightly with olive oil, place 4 eggplant planks on the sheet leaving as much space as possible between them. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt and fresh ground pepper.
-If using fresh basil, chop it finely; then chop the garlic clove finely and combine it with the basil. Stir this mixture into the ricotta cheese until well distributed. If using basil pesto in place of the fresh basil and garlic, mix 2 tablespoons into the ricotta.
-Spread ¼ - ½ inch of the ricotta mixture on each eggplant slice
-Top the slices with the remaining 4 eggplant slices to make a “sandwich.” Sprinkle lightly with salt, then top each sandwich with 3-4 tablespoons of the marinara or other tomato sauce. Top with desired quantity of shredded mozzarella.
-Bake in preheated oven approx. 15 min., or until the mozzarella is bubbling. Top with some fresh basil, if using, and serve hot.