Tender eggplant and a rich cheesy filling, this eggplant rollatini is comforting, delicious, and a gorgeous dish to serve to friends and family. Serve as a main course or appetizer, either way baking this dish will make your home smell amazing and your belly happy.
Psst–looking for something a little more hearty? Check out my eggplant lasagna. Want a little less work? Try this eggplant pizza.
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Ingredients
This eggplant rollatini comes together with your classic lasagna ingredients, minus to meat. Here’s what to collect:
- The eggplant: thinly sliced eggplant and cooking spray or olive oil. You can peel the eggplant, however, roasted eggplant yields super soft and tender skin. Although some recipes call for salting the eggplant, I prefer to skip this step–it takes a lot of time and adds quite a bit of salt to the dish. I find baking the eggplant to be the most efficient way to remove excess liquid.
- The filling: ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, garlic, basil, and seasoning.
- The topping: marinara or spaghetti sauce and a bit more shredded mozzarella.
Potential Additions:
This dish is beautifully simple and amazing as is. If you’re looking for something a little different…
- For a heartier dish, consider adding cooked ground meat or sautéed vegetables to the filling. I also love using sliced prosciutto.
- Breadcrumbs. Experiment by coating the rolled eggplant in breadcrumbs for a crispy exterior.
- Sauces + herbs. Use a different sauce (check out my broccoli pesto) or incorporate additional herbs.
- Different veggies. You can use a handful of other veggies here, consider zucchini lasagna roll ups, or even butternut squash noodles.
How to Make Baked Eggplant Rollatini
Super easy, despite how beautiful and delicious it is, here’s how to make eggplant rollatini:
- Prep and slice eggplant.
- Bake the eggplant to remove excess liquid and make it rollable.
- Roll your filling inside a slice of eggplant.
- Fit your rolled eggplant in a baking dish.
- Cover with sauce and cheese.
- Bake + enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
We love to serve this eggplant rollatini as a main and pair it with side dishes that complement its flavors, such as:
- Pasta, such as angel hair or spaghetti, are classic options for serving this eggplant rollatini over. You can also use a low carb option like zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or kohlrabi noodles.
- Garlic bread to soak up the flavors of the cheesy eggplant rollatini. You can also use toasted bread for something a bit easier.
- Salad: A simple and crisp salad such as kale salad or arugula salad. Or a creamy Italian salad like kale Caesar; opt for my shrimp Caesar salad for a bit of protein.
- Simple proteins like pork, chicken, or steak. Seafood sides are also a great option: such as Chilean sea bass or seared scallops.
- Roasted Vegetables such as zucchini, bell peppers, or asparagus.
Storing, Reheating, + Freezing
- Storage: Store leftover eggplant rollatini in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Reheating in the oven at 350 F until warmed through. Or microwave with a damp paper towel on top to prevent splashing.
- Freezing: Wrap individual portions tightly in a resealable bag. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Top Tips!
- How do you cut eggplant thin for rollatini? Use a sharp knife to slice the eggplant lengthwise into thin, uniform strips, approximately 1/4-inch thick. Unfortunately, eggplant is typically too wide for a mandolin.
- What happens if you don’t salt eggplant before cooking? Salting eggplant before cooking draws out excess moisture, that said, so does baking it. I prefer baking instead of salting, even though many recipes call for both. Also, eggplant used to be bitter, which salting was said to help mitigate, but that is no longer a problem.
- Do you peel eggplant before slicing? It’s not necessary to peel the eggplant before slicing for rollatini. However, you can peel it if you prefer a smoother texture in your dish.
More Pasta Dishes You’ll Love
- Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Zucchini Spaghetti
- Almond Flour Pasta
- Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash
- Butternut Squash Noodles
Eggplant Rollatini
Print Recipe Pin RecipeServings :6 servings
Ingredients
For the Eggplant:
- 2 large eggplants
- Olive oil or cooking spray
For the Filling:
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan grated
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the Topping:
- 2 cups marinara sauce store-bought or homemade
- 1/2 cup mozzarella shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Option to line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean up. Cut off the eggplant stem and slice lengthwise into 1/4" steaks. (Option to peel before slicing, although not necessary.)
- Place eggplant on prepared baking sheets and spray with cooking spray (or brush with oil) on both sides. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until softened. This releases excess moisture and makes the eggplant easier to roll.
- In a bowl, combine the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan, egg, garlic, chopped basil, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Spread a spoonful of the filling onto each cooled eggplant slice. Roll them up and place them seam-side down in a 9×13″ baking dish. Pour marinara sauce over the rolled eggplant. Sprinkle additional shredded mozzarella on top.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Garnish with fresh basil or parsley if desired. Serve the Eggplant Rollatini hot and enjoy!
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Nutrition
Calories: 259kcalTotal Carbohydrates: 16gProtein: 17gFat: 15gSodium: 1132mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gNet Carbs: 10g
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