A little bit eggplant Parmesan, a little bit spinach and artichoke dip, and a little bit lasagna; these eggplant rollatini are a fun way to cook eggplant.
14ozwhole artichoke heartsdrained and roughly chopped
10ozfrozen chopped spinachthawed and drained well
3scallions chopped
1cupwhole milk ricotta cheese
4ozcream cheese
½cupParmesan cheesegrated
1tbspdried basil
1tbspgranulated garlic
saltto taste
1eggbeaten
4cupsmarinara saucehome cooked or your favorite jarred sauce
8ozmozzarella cheeseshredded
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with non-stick spray.
Roast Eggplant Slices
Cut the ends off of the eggplant. Then, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Try to make sure all of the slices are about the same thickness. Aim for 8 slices. Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheets. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. You’re looking for the eggplant to get soft and slightly brown. Once they are done, take them out of the oven and set aside.
Make Filling
To make the filling, add 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil to a skillet and heat for a minute over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and brown. Stir frequently to break the meat up into crumbles. Saute until the turkey is cooked through. This will take about 7-10 minutes. Once it’s done, remove it to a large bowl.
Add 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots and mushrooms. Sauté until the vegetables are soft and the mushrooms get slightly brown. Add to the bowl.
Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, scallions, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, salt, and egg to the bowl. Stir the mixture until it’s thoroughly combined.
Make Eggplant Rolls
Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by spooning 1 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Spoon the mixture evenly on each slice of eggplant. You should make a little mountain at the widest part of the eggplant. When all of the mixture is evenly distributed, roll each slice of eggplant starting at the wide end. Some of your eggplant might be a little too soft and slightly holey, but just carefully roll and you’ll see that it won’t matter because that holey part will get layered on the inside once you’re done rolling.
Lay each roll into the prepared baking dish spread evenly (four to a row works perfectly.) Top with tomato sauce (leave a little sauce for serving with the pasta side dish.) Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the rolls.
Bake for 30 minutes until the rolls have reached an internal temperature of 165, the sauce is bubbling, and the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown. Serve with pasta. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy this little bundle of heaven!
Notes
Note about tomato sauce. We always have leftover sauce which I used here, but if you don’t have a homemade batch handy, feel free to use your favorite jarred sauce. I won’t tell!