Four Cheese Eggplant Rollatini
Four Cheese Eggplant Rollatini is one of our favorite meatless meals. To start this dish, I make a homemade tomato sauce. Then, while the sauce bubbles away, I fry sliced eggplant. I also mix together four delicious Italian cheeses. Then, I roll the crispy eggplant around the cheeses. Finally, I top the rolls with the tomato sauce and more mozzarella cheese. I love this dish for several reasons. First of all, I like that this is a meat free meal. While I like meat, I do enjoy meatless meals several times a week. Secondly, I like that this dish can be made ahead of time. I like to prepare all the components, and then assemble them before baking. Finally, I love how cheesy and delicious this dish tastes.
The Equipment I Used
- A Dutch Oven- I like to make my sauce in a Dutch oven, but you can use any large pot. I like to use my Le Creuset Dutch oven.
- A Cast Iron Skillet- My preference is to fry my eggplant in a cast iron skillet. But, you can use any skillet.
The Ingredients Needed for Four Cheese Eggplant Rollatini
- Tomatoes- My favorite tomatoes to use for this are the Pomi brand boxes of strained or chopped tomatoes.
- Chicken Stock- I always use homemade chicken stock. My recipe can be found below.
- Eggplant- Try and find long thin eggplants. They should be firm and shiny with no soft spots.
- Breadcrumbs- I like the 4C brand.
- Oils- I use extra virgin olive oil in my sauce. I like the California Olive Ranch brand. To fry the eggplant, be sure and use vegetable oil.
- Mozzarella Cheese- You can use fresh or regular mozzarella cheese. Just make sure it’s whole milk mozzarella.
- Basil and Parsley- Fresh basil and parsley adds really great fresh flavor.
- Ricotta Cheese- Use fresh ricotta cheese if possible. If you use supermarket ricotta cheese, be sure and use full fat ricotta.
How I Made my Rollatini
- First, I made the tomato sauce. To save time, you can use bottled sauce.
- Next, I fried the eggplant. You really need to keep a close eye on the eggplant, so that it doesn’t burn.
- Then, I rolled the eggplant around my cheese filling.
- Finally, I topped the rolls with sauce and cheese and baked them off.
If you love eggplant, you need to try these cheesy and delicious Four Cheese Eggplant Rollatini.
Four Cheese Eggplant Rollatini
Fried eggplant rolled around a creamy four cheese filling, and topped with tomato sauce and cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 28 ounces plum tomatoes, pureed
- ½ tsp. each kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. each dried oregano, garlic powder, and dried basil
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 8 long, thin slices of peeled eggplant
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 3 beaten eggs
- 3 cups plain dried breadcrumbs
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups fresh mozzarella, sliced
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
For the Four Cheese Filling:
- 1 cup fresh ricotta
- ½ cup mascarpone
- ¾ cups fresh mozzarella, shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Begin by making the tomato sauce: In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over low heat. Add the tomatoes, a ¼ tsp. of the kosher salt, sugar, and one teaspoon each of the garlic powder, oregano, and basil. Also, add the chicken stock, and hot pepper flakes. Simmer, covered, for thirty minutes.
- Next, mix all the filling ingredients together, and set aside.
- Next, fry the eggplant: Prepare three bowls for breading the eggplant. In the first bowl, mix the flour with a quarter teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. In the second bowl, beat the eggs. And, in the third bowl, mix the crumbs, Parmesan, and the rest of the salt, pepper, and spices.
- Heat a quarter inch of oil in a cast iron skillet, until it is hot enough for a small piece of eggplant to sizzle immediately when dropped in.
- Dip one piece of eggplant at a time into each of the three bowls. Each slice should be completely covered in breadcrumbs. Fry about three slices at a time until each side is brown and crispy. Flip each side over only once. Drain the cooked eggplant on a wire rack.
- Put an eighth of the filling on one end of each piece of eggplant, and roll it up. Put the rolls in a 11×9 baking dish, seam side down. Top the rolls with one cup of the tomato sauce and the mozzarella cheese, and bake uncovered for thirty minutes. Serve with the chopped basil on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 360kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Chicken Stock
Homemade chicken stock
Ingredients
- 4½ lbs. chicken breasts and wings with skin and bones
- 10 cups water
- 2 peeled onions
- 2 peeled carrots
- 3 peeled parsley roots
- 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 peeled parsnip
- 2 tbsp. garlic cloves
- 1 cup fresh parsley and fresh dill
Instructions
- Put the chicken and the salt in a large, tall pot and cover with ten cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any scum that forms.
- Add all the vegetables and herbs and simmer for two and a half hours. Pour the soup through a strainer to remove everything but the broth.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
