You know I love me some lasagna, even if it’s in the form of this Eggplant Rollantini stuffed with rich ricotta and Parmesan and baked in a chunky marinara sauce.
This recipe and the giveaway included in this post is sponsored by Millican Pecan and Door County Coffee. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures possible.
I don’t how many times I’ve told y’all about my love for lasagna. Countless I’m sure. And again just recently for Lasagna Day. I mean, there’s a reason they used to call me Garfield growing up. That’s all I wanted to eat for special dinners like birthdays and holidays and plain old Sunday dinners with the family.
While rollantini isn’t lasagna per se but it is very similar to lasagna. The noodles are replaced with eggplant. Instead of layering the ricotta mixture with the eggplant, it’s rolled up in the eggplant. Then the whole kit and kaboodle is put in a casserole dish and topped with marinara sauce. So, you can see the similarity, right?
Eggplant rollantini has been on my list of things to make for a while now. Probably a couple of years. I just never got around to making it. Until #FallFlavors came about and I saw that eggplant was on my list from Seasonal Roots.
Then it hit me! Of course, it hit me even more because I got some goat’s milk ricotta. No, I didn’t put that in this rollantini. I need to be able to taste that first because I’ve never had it before. I’m one of those that want to taste it solo first before I decide what I want to do with it. Who’s with me on this one?
But the two together on their website made me really want to make some eggplant rollantini for #FallFlavors. So, I got some eggplant.
However, I must give you a word of advice on the eggplant.
Get ones that are more skinny than fat. It will make the slices easier to roll up. And get 2 or 3 that are the same thickness, too. It will make your rollantini more uniform in shape and size. Mine were all over the place. I had one eggplant that was almost round and one that was a little more ideal in size and shape. So, instead of standing them up like I wanted to, I had to lay them down. Which was fine, but not the way I wanted it to go.
I did not sprinkle the eggplant with salt like most people do. And there’s a legitimate reason for this. My initial experience with eggplant was one where Dad did just that. I can’t even remember what he was making. But it was something that told him to sprinkle it with salt before doing whatever it was. Maybe he didn’t rinse it off? Maybe the instructions didn’t tell him to? Either way, it was the SALTIEST meal I have ever put in my mouth. And that was the last time we had eggplant until I met the hubs.
I decided we should try a meat free meal once a week. Supposedly it’s healthier. And better for the environment? Because, you know, caw flatulence and all? Yes, I know there’s more to it than that, but I just had to say that. And, well, he’s a solid meat eater. I was trying anything and everything that was meaty to make for dinner. And this included eggplant.
I made a killer, oven-fried baked eggplant Parmesan that is super crispy and delicious. I made some sloppy eds which are my version of an eggplant sloppy Joes. I thought they were good. He did not. I’ve roasted eggplant as a side dish and I think that’s about it? We haven’t really experimented much with it until now.
And this totally was an experiment. I had never made it before. I’d made rollantini once with pasta noodles. The hubs hated those. I didn’t put enough sauce in there, I guess? That failure made me wait a while before trying them again. But I’m glad I did try them again.
As you can see, these are deliciously packed with rich ricotta and Parmsan cheese wrapped in a par-baked eggplant slice. Then they’re placed in a casserole dish and topped with sauce. I chose a chunky marinara sauce. It was the perfect veggie accompaniment to the eggplant. They go in the oven until the ricotta is nice and bubble and then more cheese is sprinkled on top.
Because, cheese.
And any excuse to add more cheese to a dish is a good one to me. Besides cheese has calcium and protein. All the things you need when you have a meat free meal. Sometimes people don’t think about what your body needs before the dive into a vegetarian or vegan diet. At least that was the case when I was younger and being a vegetarian was THE thing to do.
But, if I hadn’t thought about meat free meals, I might not have made this delicious eggplant rollantini. Heck, I might not have even tried eggplant again at all! I could have been totally devoid of all eggplant if I didn’t choose to have a meatless meal once a week way back when.
I’m sure you’re glad I did. So I could share this delicious, and pretty easy recipe for you make. The hardest part was rolling the rollantini up. I started to stand them up then had to flip them all on their side. It wasn’t pretty. But, they look pretty darned good and taste awesome!
Make sure to enter the giveaway! I served this with a side salad made with Millican Pecan pecans. They’re giving away a nice prize pack! So is Door County Coffee. While you’re down there, check out some other lasagna recipes I’ve made and see what the rest of the crew shared today for #FallFlavors.
Eggplant Rollantini
know I love me some lasagna, even if it’s in the form of this Eggplant Rollantini stuffed with rich ricotta and Parmesan and baked in a chunky marinara sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 average size aubergines (try to pick 2 similar in size and shape that's fairly narrow)
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 28 ounces chunky marinara (I used Ragu)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Cut the top and end off the eggplant. Using a mandoline, slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat mat. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until just pliable enough to roll up.
- Allow to cool enough to handle.
- While the eggplant are cooking, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of Italian cheese blend, the chopped parsley, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic salt, and black pepper in a small mixing bowl. Stir until combined.
- Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara in the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, spread 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on top of the eggplant. Roll up and place in the casserole dish. Continue with the remaining eggplant and ricotta mixture.
- Pour the marinara sauce over the rollantini.
- Bake, covered, for 40 minutes or until bubble.
- Remove the cove, spread the remaining cheese on top, and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and brown.
- Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 369Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 82mgSodium 1214mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 8gSugar 14gProtein 21g
Welcome to Flavors of Fall where we celebrate all things associated with fall like squash, apples, pecans, sweaters, football; you get the idea! Ellen from Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures have gathered 24 bloggers who have over 100 recipes they’re sharing this week in celebration of cool weather and sweatshirts. We hope you find many must make recipes so get your pinning, tweeting, and sharing fingers ready!
Here’s what we made for Thursday:
Beverage
Plum Spice Bubble Tea by Daily Dish Recipes
Breakfast
Cinnamon Pecan Muffins by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Coffee Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Praline Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins by Family Around the Table
Savory
Butternut, Kale, Butterbean & Pesto Salad by Sweet Beginnings
Coffee Rubbed Pork with Autumn Spices by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Eggplant Rolantini by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Potato Rosemary Bread with Roasted Garlic by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Savoury Pecan Granola by Crumb Top Baking
Dessert
Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Easy Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler by Palatable Pastime
Vegan Chocolate Pecan Hand Pies by The Baking Fairy
Make sure you like Fall Flavors on Facebook and follow the Fall Flavors on Pinterest, too!
Jaida ~ Sweet Beginnings says
This is a great meatless meal, and definitely a great alternative to traditional lasagna!
Chris says
Exactly! They are going on the make again menu for sue. They were so delicious.
Sue Lau says
Bill loves eggplant so this is definitely a must-try!
Chris says
I hope he likes it! I devoured it.
Valentina | The Baking Fairy says
I am one of those people who LOVES eggplant, so this dish is right up my alley! I haven’t made rollatini in a long time – this needs to change ASAP!
Chris says
My first experience with eggplant as not so good…. something about sprinkling it with salt? Fail. But this is not a fail!
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
The best of the best as far as comfort food goes! I love eggplant and this looks so satisfying and so delicious. I love all that cheese and nice tomato sauce!
Chris says
Thank you!
Cindy says
What a hearty fall meal!
Chris says
Thank you!
Jan Thomas says
I haven’t cooked with eggplant in way too long! this may be my inspiration!
Chris says
I hope so! It’s so good and hearty without meat.
Hezzi-D says
These sound really good and like a great alternative to a lasagna.
Chris says
Thank you!
Wendy Klik says
One of our favorite Meatless Monday dinners. YUM