Eggplant Rollatini is summer on a plate. This easy, elegant recipe fills thinly sliced roasted eggplant with a fragrant ricotta herb mixture.
It’s finally here! My holiday! The one where dairy is celebrated and it almost feels like summer! I know I’m not alone in saying that Shavout is one of my favorite holidays!
Eggplant Rollatini is Summer on a plate!
Every cook has “their dish.” The dish they have tinkered to perfection. The one that makes them feel joy when they serve it to both family and guests.
Such is my Eggplant Rollatini.
Where should I begin? This dinner is summer on a plate, but can be made all year round. I make this dish for a casual weeknight supper and for entertaining. While this dish seems like it would be difficult prepare, its easily broken down in to a few steps.
This is the recipe I get asked for the most, but I’ve never been able to give specific amounts because it’s a recipe I have always done by feel. I felt for Shavout it was finally time to put it on paper and share with all of you!
Many home cooks have confessed to me they are afraid of cooking eggplant or think they don’t like eggplant. Preparing beautiful eggplant is, actually, very simple! I prefer roasting the eggplant slices instead of frying them because they become buttery soft and the process seems less daunting and messy. My method doesn’t require salting the eggplant or anything fancy. The oven does all the work. This dish can be prepared all at once of in stages….whatever makes you happy! This recipe is perfect to make ahead of time and warm up. I know I say this about all of my recipes, but this one is very forgiving and versatile.
I serve Eggplant Rollatini with my Chopped Salad with Feta & Crunchy Chickpeas. For a full list of everything Shavuot, check out My Shavuot Favorites! for all my holiday ready recipes!
Tips and tricks!
A pastry brush is key for this recipe. Eggplant has the tendency to suck up oil like a sponge. The pastry brush grantees the olive oil will be evenly spread over the eggplant.
You can roast the eggplant ahead of time and store in the fridge until you are ready to roll them! You can also roll the eggplant bundles with the cheese and store them in the fridge for one day in advance.
For this recipe, you can use your favorite store bought tomato sauce or use my easy and fast Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce.
Eggplant Rollatini
Ingredients
For the eggplant:
- 2 very large eggplants 2¾-3 lbs total. Eggplants should be thick.
- extra virgin olive oil for brushing
- kosher salt for sprinkling
For the filling:
- 16 oz. full fat ricotta cheese (I recommend BelGioioso brand)
- 1.5 oz. Pecorino Romano cheese finely grated. See notes.
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 2 pinches dried oregano
- ¼ packed cup fresh basil leaves finely sliced (measure after slicing)
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach finely chopped (measure after chop)
- 3 tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
For the pan:
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
- 1 sprig rosemary leaves finely minced
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 24 oz tomato sauce your favorite tomato/pasta sauce or recipe for my roasted cherry tomato sauce, see notes for link.
- Pecorino Romano cheese for topping
- fresh basil leaves for topping
Instructions
For the eggplant:
- Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 415 °F
- Using a very sharp knife, cut eggplants into long planks ¼-⅜ thick and evenly space them on the baking sheets.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each eggplant plank evenly with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt. Turn the planks over then repeat.
- Roast the eggplant in the oven between 15-20 minutes until the eggplant is lightly golden browned. Using a fork, carefully flip them over and roast them for another 8-15 minutes until they are golden brown. Make sure to keep an eye on them! They can burn during the last few minutes. Remove the eggplant from the oven and set aside to cool.
For the filling:
- While the eggplant is roasting, combine the ricotta cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, granulated garlic powder, oregano, and basil leaves in a medium sized bowl. Use a fork to incorporate all of the ingredients together. Stir in the panko then the spinach. Set aside.
To fill the eggplant:
- Place one spoonful (about 2 tablespoons, I use a normal soup spoon) of the filling onto the bottom of an eggplant plank. This should be the widest part of the eggplant.
- Gently roll the eggplant up from the filled side up to the narrow top of the eggplant. Set aside and repeat until all eggplant is filled.
For the pan:
- In an oven/broiler safe 3 – 3½ quart deep pan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and rosemary. Cook for one minute or until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Carefully add the tomato sauce and the bay leaf. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently until warmed and the bay leaf has softened. About 10 minutes.
- Scoop out about 1 cup of the sauce into small bowl and set aside.
- Nest the eggplant bundles into the pan, seam side down. Spoon the reserved sauce over each eggplant bundle. Generously sprinkle the eggplant bundles with Pecorino Romano cheese hen cover the pan with the lid. Simmer on the lowest setting for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler. Uncover the pan and gently slide the pan under the broiler and carefully watch for about 1-3 minutes until the eggplant is bubbly and delicious! Remove from the boiler and sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Enjoy! Drop a comment below!
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