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Eggplant rollatini is a vegetarian dish that consists of baked eggplant slices that are rolled around a creamy mixture of fat free ricotta cheese, spinach and Romano cheese.
Traditionally the stuffed eggplant bundles are covered with marinara and shredded mozzarella and baked. In this recipe I baked the eggplant rollatini in an Alfredo sauce.
The rollatini are high in protein and make a satisfying dinner. I normally serve them with a side salad and garlic bread. This dish is great as a side dish when accompanied with grilled or baked chicken, pork, beef or salmon.
This recipe is more involved and time consuming due to the multiple steps. That being said, they are delicious and worth the time investment to make the.
Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.
Ingredient Round Up
- Eggplant
- Fat free ricotta
- Frozen chopped spinach
- Grated Romano cheese
- Salt & pepper
- Egg whites
- Alfredo sauce or marina – I used Alfredo sauce.
- Shredded fat free mozzarella
Making the Rollatini
- Cut both ends off of the eggplant. Then stand it up and cut it lengthwise into slices.
- Lay the slices out onto a cookie sheet and liberally sprinkle each slice with salt to draw out the moisture and let sit for a brief time.
- Rinse each slice under water to remove the salt and pat dry. Place the eggplant slices onto a greased baking sheet. Bake until slightly tender and malleable. Remove the eggplant slices when done and set aside.
- While the eggplant slices are baking, place the ricotta into a mixing bowl.
- Squeeze as much liquid as you can out of thawed chopped spinach and add it to the ricotta in the mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix the ricotta and spinach together.
- Add the grated Romano cheese and black pepper to the ricotta and spinach mixture and stir it in. Taste the mixture and add more Romano if you think it’s needed. You can also add salt to taste at this step if needed.
- Add the egg whites to the ricotta mixture and mix until it is well incorporated.
- Divide the ricotta mixture equally among all the eggplant slices. Fold the two ends of the eggplant slices over the ricotta mixture.
- Spread some sauce on the bottom of a baking pan. I used Alfredo sauce but you can substitute marinara if you wish.
- Place the rollatini seam side facing down in the baking pan. Spread some sauce over each rollatini. Sprinkle the shredded fat free mozzarella over the rollatini, cover tightly with aluminum foil and place into the oven to bake.
- Remove the rollatini from the oven when heated through and the mozzarella is melted. Let rest briefly so the cheese can set up. Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Serving Ideas
- Eggplant rollatini can be served as a main dish with a side salad, garlic bread, dinner roll or small serving of pasta or polenta.
- These cheese filled eggplant bundles are great as a side with chicken, beef, pork, or salmon.
- Individual rollatini can be served as an appetizer for an Italian themed dinner.
- A pan of rollatini are a nice addition to a buffet or a pot luck dinner.
WW 2 pt per rollatini; 5 pt per 3 rollatini
Servings: 12 rollatini
Calories: 31.1kcal
Equipment
- Chef knife
- Cutting board
- mixing bowl
- baking sheet
- baking pan or casserole
- measuring cups & spoons
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 6 tbsp thawed chopped spinach, squeezed dry and packed
- 4 tbsp grated Romano cheese
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- salt
- 2 egg whites or 1 whole egg
- ¾ c Alfredo sauce, I used Priano. (see notes at end)
- ⅔ c shredded fat free mozzarella
- Pam or olive oil mist
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
Prep the Eggplant
- Cut both ends off of the eggplant. Stand the eggplant up on your cutting board. Using your chef knife, cut the eggplant lengthwise into slices.
- Spread the eggplant slices out onto baking trays. Sprinkle each slice liberally with salt and let sit for 20 min. The salt will draw some of the moisture out of the eggplant slices.
- After 20 min, rinse each slice off under running water to remove the salt. Lay the slices out on paper towels and pat them dry.
- Spray baking sheets with Pam or olive oil mist. Use a piece of paper towel and use it to smear the Pam or olive oil around the pan. Place the eggplant slices on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 min at 400℉. Remove the eggplant slices from the oven when done and set aside.
- Turn the oven down to 350℉.
Preparing the Ricotta Mixture
- Place the ricotta in a mixing bowl and use a fork to break it up.
- Squeeze as much water out of the thawed chopped spinach as you can. Measure out 6 tbsp. of packed spinach and add it to the ricotta. Using a fork to thoroughly mix the spinach into the ricotta.
- Add the grated Romano and black pepper to the ricotta mixture. Thorough mix these ingredients into the ricotta mixture. Taste the mixture and decide if you need another tbsp of Romano. If the Romano isn't a sufficient source of salt for your taste, them add some salt to the mixture until your are satisfied with the seasoning level.
- Add the egg whites to the mixture and stir to incorporate them into the ricotta mixture.
Assemble the Rollatini
- Divide the ricotta mixture evenly among the 12 slices of eggplant. Place it in the center of the slice. Fold both ends of the slices over the cheese mixture making a bundle.
- Spread about ¼ - ⅓ c of the Alfredo sauce on the bottom of the baking pan or casserole.
- Place the rollatini in the baking pan, seam side face down. Spread the remaining Alfredo sauce over rollatini making sure each bundle is cover with a thin coating of sauce.
- Sprinkle the shredded fat free mozzarella over the rollatini. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil making sure to create a tight seal.
- Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 min at 350℉. Remove the rollatini from the oven and let rest for 5 min so the cheese sets.
- Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
I used Priano Alfredo sauce from Aldi in this recipe. When I am not pressed for time, I make Alfredo sauce from scratch to lower the points. You can also lower the points in the recipe using marinara instead.
I used a medium sized eggplant and got 12 slices out of it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1rollatini | Calories: 31.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.2g | Protein: 6.9g | Fat: 1.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.7g | Sodium: 239mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 4g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
