Eggplant Rollatini with Meat stuffing
By davidgoodman
This recipe includes both sirloin and sausage to make it even more savory.
- 8
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 1/2 lb. ground sirloin
- 1/2 lb. sweet italian sausage (or use hot if you want a spicy kick)
- 1 (15 oz.) tub of ricotta cheese
- 1 (1 lb.) bag of fresh baby spinach (or a 10 oz. box of frozen, chopped spinach - thawed)
- 2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella (or any good melting italian cheese)
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
- olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Preparation
Step 1
1. Preheat the oven to 375º F.
2. Slice the eggplant length wise about 1/8 inch thick. Place your slices on a cookie rack that's been placed over a jelly roll sheet and sprinkle both sides generously with kosher salt. Let sit for about a 1/2 hour so the salt can bring out some of the water in the eggplant and reduce the bitterness of it.
3. While you are waiting for that, brown your sirloin and sausage and chop the spinach. (By all means, you can use frozen, chopped spinach - just thaw it out and make sure you've squeezed all the water from it - I usually place the thawed spinach in a sieve and press all of the water out) Once the meat has browned, combine it in a large bowl with the spinach, ricotta, romano, salt and pepper, set aside.
4. When the eggplant is done sitting in the salt, rinse it really well and place on paper towels, blotting excess water from them. Drizzle olive oil on the side of eggplant that you'll be putting down on the pan and then drizzle the tops with a little more olive oil. Grill each side for approximately 3 to 4 minutes on a broiler pan, or until they are tender.
5. Now it's time to assemble your rollatini. I took my eggplant off the heat and placed them on a cookie sheet and then spread about 2 TBS of the beef/cheese/spinach mixture of them and rolled them up.
6. Place 1 1/2 c. of your marinara in a 9" x 13" baking dish and then put the rolls on top. Spoon the remaining 1/2 c. of your marinara over each rollatini and then sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Take the foil off and either bake for another 5 minutes to brown the cheese or if you just can't wait another 5 minutes (like me!) turn on the broiler to brown it quicker.