Three Cheese Stuffed Eggplant Rollatini
Three Cheese Stuffed Eggplant Rollatini is one of my family’s favorite recipes, that I have been making frequently over the last 20 years. It is also a dish that I often order at Italian restaurants, but never enjoy as much as the following recipe, that I love to make myself.
The Equipment You’ll Need
- A Cast Iron Pan- I highly recommend this for frying the eggplant. It turns out the crispest product. If you don’t have one, use another heavy frying pan instead.
- A Dutch Oven- I think Dutch ovens make the tastiest tomato sauces. If you don’t have one, any pot will do.
- A Baking Pan- You’ll need this to bake the rollatini. I prefer ceramic pans especially those made by LeCreuset.
The Ingredients You’ll Need for Three Cheese Stuffed Eggplant Rollatini
- The Tomatoes- My favorite pureed tomatoes are made by Pomi and come in a box. They have no added salt or acid, and are much less acidic than canned tomato products. I buy the strained tomatoes, because I have a kid who hates lumps, chunks, and tomato skins.
- The Chicken Broth- I always use homemade. If you don’t have any, just leave it out.
- The Bread Crumbs- I like 4C brand, but if your bakery makes crumbs that’s an even better option.
- The Ricotta Cheese- I strongly prefer fresh ricotta cheese, if you can find it.
How I Made It
- This is a fairly quick recipe, that can be made in a little over an hour.
- First, I made the sauce, and prepared my breading station.
- Next, I heated my oil, and sliced the eggplant. I peeled the eggplant and then cut long, thin vertical slices. Then, I breaded the eggplant and fried it. I tried to get the eggplant to be as crispy as possible, but also tender inside.
- Next, I made the filling and rolled up the eggplant.
- I topped it with sauce, but had lots leftover to serve with the pasta I made as a side dish.
- Finally, I topped it with cheese and baked it. I served it with bowtie pasta and the extra sauce, as well as, a big salad.
- This heated up really well the next day, in the microwave, for lunch.
I think this dish is a great way to expose kids to a vegetable they might not otherwise try. Kids like it because it is crispy and fried, but once they learn to love eggplant, they will try it in other non-fried forms. They will also then try other bitter vegetables, and like those, too.
It is also a fairly economical dish to make, since it’s a meatless meal. The most expensive ingredient is probably the fresh ricotta. My container was quite large, so I also made the ricotta zeppole recipe that appears earlier in my blog. And, I froze the rest of my mozzarella cheese, so that it can be used in the future. So, if you’re looking for a good meatless meal, that is very family friendly, I encourage you to try this Three Cheese Stuffed Eggplant Rollatini.
Three Cheese Stuffed Eggplant Rollatini
Equipment
- cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 box Pomi strained tomatoes, or 28 oz. plum tomatoes, pureed
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1½ tsp. dried oregano
- 1½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1½ tsp. dried basil
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 8 long thin slices of peeled eggplant
- 1½ cup flour
- 3 beaten eggs
- 3 cups plain breadcrumbs
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup chopped basil
For the 3 Cheese Filling:
- 1½ cups fresh ricotta
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. chopped basil
- 1 tbsp. chopped thyme
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- To make the tomato sauce, begin by heating the oil in a Dutch oven over low heat. Add the tomatoes, ¼ tsp. kosher salt, sugar, and one teaspoon each of the oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Also add the broth and hot pepper flakes. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare 3 bowls for breading the eggplant. In the first bowl, mix the flour with ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper. In the second bowl, mix the eggs. And, in the third bowl, mix the crumbs, Parmesan, and the rest of the salt, pepper, and spices.
- Heat a ¼ 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 4 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 an⅛ of the filling on one end of each piece of eggplant, and roll it up. Put them in a 11×9 baking dish, seam side down. Top the rolls with with one cup of the tomato sauce and the mozzarella cheese, and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve, with the chopped basil on top.
For the 3 Cheese Filling:
- In a small skillet, over low heat, cook the garlic in oil, until it's soft, but not brown.
- Mix the garlic and oil in a bowl, with the rest of the filling ingredients.
