Description

This is how my grandmother taught me to make Melanzane Involtini (Eggplant Rollatini).These delicious cheese stuffed rolls make a great appetizer, side dish or main course.

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants Olive Oil (½ cup in total) 1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese 2 cups whole milk mozzarella cheese shredded ¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Reggiano Parmigiano Cheese (Plus an additional ¼ cup to top with at the end) 1 large egg ¼ cup fresh parsley or basil, chopped 2 cups of red sauce Salt & Pepper to taste (I use 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper)

Instructions

Preheat to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl add the ricotta, mozzarella, parmigiano, slightly beaten egg, basil and salt & pepper. Stir to combine well and set aside. Peel eggplant if desired and slice. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean-up) and lightly coat with olive oil, place eggplant slices in one layer on the baking sheet, lightly brush the tops of the eggplant with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 4-5 minutes (You are looking for the eggplant slices to become tender and pliable) cool enough that they can be handled. Coat the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish with your red sauce using 1 cup give or take of it. Individually take each slice of eggplant and add a tablespoon of your cheese mixture to the wider end of the eggplant and roll the eggplant over itself. Place the roll, loose end down in the baking dish, repeating till the pan is full. Spoon a tablespoon of the red sauce over each roll. Place the baking dish in a 400 degree oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (The liquid in the pan should be bubbling and the cheese melted). Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining parmigiano cheese over the top, return to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Cooling is optional but if you don’t allow it to cool and set a bit the cheese is going to ooze out.

Serves

This recipe should yield 20-24 rollatini, depending on how many slices each eggplant yields. If served as an appetizer or side, 3 per person would yield 7 servings. If served as the main course with an additional side and salad 4 per person would yield 6 serving.

Eggplant Rollatini