Thin slices of eggplant are lightly roasted in the oven until softened; then lightly stuffed with shredded mozzarella, rolled into a roll, and topped with tomato sauce and pecorino cheese. Next, bake until the cheese is fully melted, and garnish with fresh chopped basil.
I took our mom's recipe for her eggplant rollatini and made them amazingly light- like a feather- and oh, so delicious!
Baked eggplant rollatini are much lighter than the ones our mother used to make, where she fried the eggplant slices first and would then stuff them with a heavier filling made with ricotta cheese, eggs, and mozzarella; topped with a bread crumb mixture. They were delicious, but definitely on the heavier side.
These rollatinis are much lighter, containing a simple filling (only shredded mozzarella), and topped with some tomato sauce. Their flavors and texture are more on the delicate side, while keeping them lower in calories and in fat. Best of all, they're Gluten-Free!
Once you roast the slices for a few minutes in the oven, the ease of sprinkling them with some cheese, rolling, then adding some marinara sauce- make these rollatinis come together in a matter of minutes!
They're even terrific to serve as an appetizer, but we enjoy them as a side dish at dinner. Nothing fancy- just simple, light and delicious!
Just serve them warm.
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For more eggplant recipes: Try these!
Individual Roasted Eggpant Parmigiano - Lightened!
Mom's Best Eggplant Parmesan
Spaghetti with Roasted Eggplant, Fresh Tomatoes, and Mozzarella
Eggplant Rollatini- Lightened!
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1+1/2 cups tomato sauce ( I used our mom's quick marinara sauce)
- olive oil cooking spray
- chopped fresh basil
- olive oil cooking spray
- grated pecorino cheese
Preheat oven to Roast at 375 degrees.
Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Also, spray a second baking (8 x 11) dish with cooking spray, set aside.
Rinse eggplant, dry with a paper towel, and cut off top.
Hold the eggplant upright on top a cutting board, and thinly slice off the outer skin and discard. Then begin to slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices, rotating the eggplant to help slice easily.
Approximately 16 slices from one eggplant, depending how thin you slice them.
Transfer slices into a large roasting pan.
Lay them side by side, or slightly overlap them if you need to.
Drizzle very lightly with some olive oil over them. Place pan in oven on center rack.
Roast eggplant slices for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly brown and softened, turning them over once half way through.
Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Change oven (from Roast) to BAKE, and REDUCE temperature to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, in an 8 X 11 baking dish, spray lightly with some cooking spray and set aside.
Take each eggplant slice and lay on a flat surface or on a plate. Then sprinkle about 1 to 2 teaspoons of shredded mozzarella over each. Pick up one end and roll the eggplant. Place each roll with seam side down, and lay them side by side into the prepare baking dish.
Spoon lightly some tomato sauce over each eggplant rollatini evenly.
Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella on top.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted.
Remove from oven and sprinkle on top with some grated pecorino cheese and fresh chopped basil. Serve warm.
Yields: 16 eggplant rollatini
