Eggplant Parmesan is one of my favorite comfort food dishes. But it can get a little heavy once the eggplant is breaded and fried. I also find that frying the eggplant can mask the delicate flavor of the eggplant itself. This recipe of ricotta-stuffed eggplant roulades is very reminiscent of an eggplant Parmesan, but it allows the eggplant to shine through without all that extra breading. To start, I lightly roast thin slices of eggplant and fill them with a mixture of ricotta and Parmesan. Then I roll them into little roulades. I place the eggplant roulades in casserole dishes with my favorite prepared marinara sauce and top with grated mozzarella before baking.
Servings: 6
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3 medium eggplants
¼ teaspoon table salt
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon kosher salt*
8 ounces ricotta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
¼ teaspoon dried Italian herbs
1 32-ounce jar of marinara sauce
4 cups grated mozzarella
*Used more than once
1. Trim the top and bottom off of the eggplants. Slice vertically into ½-inch slices.
2. Line a large cutting board with paper towels. Place the eggplant slices on top in a single layer. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with a little table salt. Let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the eggplant to release some of its liquid.
3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking pans with nonstick foil.
4. Rinse the eggplant and pat it dry. Place the slices in a single layer on the lined baking sheets. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Place the eggplant in the heated oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or just until the eggplant becomes tender. Remove it from the oven and cool. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
5. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta and Parmesan with the remaining kosher salt, black pepper, minced garlic and dried herbs. Mix well.
6. Coat the bottom of two 9×13 casserole dishes with a little of the marinara sauce. Take one roasted eggplant slice and place it onto a cutting board. Use a teaspoon to place a dollop of the ricotta mixture in the middle of the slice. Fold one side of the eggplant over to cover the ricotta, and then roll it all the way over to create the roulade.
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7. Place the filled eggplant roulade into the casserole dish. Continue these steps with the remaining eggplant slices, placing the roulades in a single layer side-by-side in the casserole dishes. Cover the roulades with the remaining marinara sauce and top with the grated mozzarella.
8. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
This article was originally published in the July 2022 issue of 225 magazine.