My version of an Eggplant Involtini, this recipe has eggplant rolls cooked a homemade spicy pomodoro sauce that has just the right amount of kick!
Why You Should Make this Recipe
This dish is a perfect make-ahead dish. You can get it ready for the oven (in it's baking dish), cover it, and bake it for 25 minutes before your guests arrive. Just let it come to room temperature and pop it in the oven before your guests get there.
It's full of great flavor and can work with both fresh tomatoes and canned, whatever you have handy. It’s also a fun dish to make with kids, they’ll do a great job rolling the eggplants up! And you can modify the level of spice to suit all taste buds.
If you're looking for a shortcut, you can grab a jar of your favorite pasta sauce.
How to Make Eggplant Involtini
Preheat the oven to 400F and get started on your sauce.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium/medium-high. Add the 2 finely diced jalapeños, shallot, 4-5 cloves minced garlic, a pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 16 fresh basil leaves.
Once the garlic looks cooked but is not yet brown, add the tomatoes. taste and adjust seasoning. If it tastes too acidic, add a pinch of sugar. Once the tomatoes are heated through, lower the heat to simmer and cover for 20-30 minutes. If a smoother consistency is desired, blend the sauce.
Note: Simmer for at least 20 minutes to evaporate the extra liquid from the tomatoes. You can blend the sauce if you are looking for a smoother finish...I personally prefer the sauce a little chunky.
In the meantime, let's cook the eggplant. Grease your baking sheet with olive oil. You can either use 2 sheets or cook your eggplant in 2 batches.
Prepare your eggplant: Trim the ends, slice lengthwise into ¼-1/2 inch slices (you want to get 6 slices per eggplant), and lay evenly on a your greased baking sheet. Drizzle with more olive oil, and season with salt & pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Flip. Cook another 10 minutes.
Mix the ricotta, mozarella, and parmesan in a medium bowl. Season with ¼ teaspoon of each salt & pepper. Mix (with a fork) to combine.
When the eggplant is cool, add ~2 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture to the center of each eggplant. Use up all the mixture. Roll the eggplant slices around the cheese mixture and place the eggplant rolls seam-side-down in your baking dish.
Add your tomato sauce to your baking dish. You will finish cooking the eggplant rolls directly in the sauce.
Roll your eggplant and place them seam-side-down in the baking dish.
Bake for 25 minutes. Garnish the eggplant involtini with freshly grated parmesan.
Eggplant Involtini FAQs
Involtini is used in Italian cooking to describe food that has an outer layer wrapped around a filling. This can be done with anything from vegetables to meat and filled with anything like cheese, nuts, meat, and vegetables.
No. The skin is edible and stays on in this recipe. If you're making something like a dip, you can roast it with the skin on and scoop out the flesh after it cools.
Generally speaking, no. However, eggplant is a nightshade vegetable, which are known to contain some alkaloids that can be toxic, and is known to have inflammatory effects.
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Eggplant Rolls in a Spicy Pomodoro
Ingredients
Spicy Pomodoro
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 jalapeños finely diced
- 1 medium shallot finely chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pinch sea salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ~16 medium basil leaves
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 ½-2 lbs. tomatoes on the vine diced or processed in the food processor
Eggplant Involtini
- 2 large eggplants sliced into ¼" slices
- flavorless oil like sunflower seed, vegetable, or canola
- 1.5 cups ricotta cheese
- 6 oz. fresh mozarella
- ½ cup parmesan grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Start your sauce by heating the olive oil over medium/medium-high heat until the butter is mostly melted. Add the jalapeño, shallot, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and basil.
- Once the garlic looks cooked but is not yet brown, add the tomatoes. taste and adjust seasoning. If it tastes too acidic, add a pinch of sugar. Once the tomatoes are brought to temperature lower the heat to simmer and cover for 20-30 minutes. If a smoother consistency is desired, blend the sauce.
- Grease your baking sheet with olive oil. You can either use 2 sheets or cook your eggplant in 2 batches.
- Prepare your eggplant: Trim the ends, slice lengthwise into ¼-1/2 inch slices (you want to get 6 slices per eggplant), and lay evenly on a your greased baking sheet. Drizzle with more olive oil, and season with salt & pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Flip. Cook another 10 minutes.
- Mix the ricotta, mozarella, and parmesan in a medium bowl. Season with ¼ teaspoon of each salt & pepper. Mix (with a fork) to combine.
- When the eggplant is cool, add ~2 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture to the center of each eggplant (see photo below). Use up all the mixture.
- Transfer your tomato sauce to a baking dish.
- Roll your eggplants and place them seam-side-down in the baking dish.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in September of 2018 but was republished with step by step instructions and tips in November of 2020.
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