Eggplant Involtini
I have yet to meet an eggplant dish I did not like. If it has eggplant in it, I will try it. I have a repertoire of eggplant dishes that I make, my most favorite being eggplant Parmesan. Something about crisp fried eggplant, homemade marinara and gooey cheese makes it irresistible. This recipe is a spin on eggplant Parmesan but in honor of the upcoming holiday it has been redesigned for Pesach (although I make a great Pesach eggplant Parmesan coated with Matzah meal)! Here, the eggplant is not coated before it is fried and there is the addition of ricotta and spinach to make it just a little bit different but every bit as delicious. In America, most eggplants are bitter and must be salted to extract some of the bitterness before using. Here in Israel, with the hundreds of eggplants I have bought I have never encountered a bitter one so I do not salt my eggplants before cooking. I plan on serving this for a dairy meal over Pesach and I can't wait! Enjoy!
2 eggplants
1/4 oil for frying or more as needed
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp granulated garlic
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
Trim the top and bottom of the eggplant and slice them each length wise into slices. In a frying pan heat up the oil and fry each slice of eggplant until lightly browned on each side. Let slices cool. In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese with the spinach, egg, garlic, Parmesan and nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spray a baking pan with cooking spray and spread 1/2 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of it. Lay each slice of eggplant down and place 1-2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture at the bottom of each slice (the wider part). Roll up each eggplant slice and place in the pan on top of the marinara sauce. Top all the rolls with the rest of the marinara and sprinkle with the Mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 until the cheese is bubbly.
(My apologies. Picture taken at night with less than desirable camera.)
2 eggplants
1/4 oil for frying or more as needed
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp granulated garlic
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
Trim the top and bottom of the eggplant and slice them each length wise into slices. In a frying pan heat up the oil and fry each slice of eggplant until lightly browned on each side. Let slices cool. In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese with the spinach, egg, garlic, Parmesan and nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spray a baking pan with cooking spray and spread 1/2 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of it. Lay each slice of eggplant down and place 1-2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture at the bottom of each slice (the wider part). Roll up each eggplant slice and place in the pan on top of the marinara sauce. Top all the rolls with the rest of the marinara and sprinkle with the Mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 until the cheese is bubbly.
(My apologies. Picture taken at night with less than desirable camera.)
This sounds delicious and I know my vegetarian daughter would love to have this for dinner any night. Do you have any hints on how to keep the eggplant from soaking up too much oil and becoming greasy?
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