I’ve found that eggplants are one of the more unpopular vegetables out there. Very rarely do I come across someone who says, “Oh yeah! Eggplants-yum!” It’s usually more of a scrunched-up face people have when eggplants are mentioned—or what I refer to as the “yuck face.” And I have to be honest, until last year I used to put eggplants in the same “yuck category” that most people do.
I was in Barcelona on a group food tour and I had this amazing crostini with some kind of delectable vegetable on top. It was one of the best dishes my mouth had ever known. And since my high school Spanish classes hadn’t prepared me in the way that my 3rd period teacher, Mrs. Rosa, had hoped—I had no idea what I was eating. Naturally, I asked what it was after I had devoured the entire thing… Eggplant?!?! No way. I didn’t like eggplant!
Apparently, I was wrong.
As are true for most foods in my life—it turned out I just hadn’t had it prepared the “right” way. The year came and went and I forgot about my mouthwatering eggplant dish.
Then last week one of my friends brought me a bag FULL of fresh eggplants from her garden. (You may remember from my basil pesto post that I kill every herb/fruit/vegetable that I try to grow—so am ALWAYS appreciative of a handout of fresh ingredients.) But now I had to brainstorm what I was going to make with all of these eggplants I now had in my possession!
So, the “month of the eggplant,” starts today with this eggplant rollatini recipe.
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes
Yields: ~45 rollatinis
Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
15 oz part skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 cups fat free shredded mozzarella, divided
1 sprig oregano, chopped,
3-4 basil leaves (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Arrange eggplant slices on aluminum foil lined baking sheet and spray both sides with nonstick spray and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
3. Bake at 425°X ~6 minutes. Flip and bake additional 6 minutes on the other side. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
4. Reduce oven to 400°.
5. In a medium sized bowl mix ricotta, eggs, 1 cup of mozzarella, and chopped oregano.
6. Once eggplant is cool enough to handle, spoon ~2 tbsp ricotta mixture at one end of eggplant slice. Roll up.
7. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with a layer of marinara and place rolled eggplant on top of the sauce.
8. Tope with remainder of marinara and mozzarella cheese.
9. Bake at 400°X ~20 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.
10. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 3 pieces
Servings Per Recipe: 15
Calories: 155 Fat: 5g Sodium: 215mg Carbs: 17g Fiber: 5g Sugars: 10g Protein: 11g
