Eggplant Rollatini – Lightened!
Eggplant Rollatini – Lightened! Roasted thin slices of eggplant are stuffed with cheese then rolled and topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pecorino cheese. Bakedย until the cheese is fully melted, making these eggplant rollatini very easy, light, and best tasting ever!
We took our mom’s eggplant rollatini casserole recipe and modified it to make it easier, healthier, and amazingly lighter!
Serve our eggplant rollatini as a side with any main dishes like our London Broil Steak Grilled Perfectly, and our recipe for Chicken Cutlets.
A lighter eggplant rollatini than most recipes and especially our mother’s recipe which is weighed down with a lot of ingredients.ย
We love eggplant,ย especially when roasted or baked, but not fried!
In the past, she would fry the eggplant slices, then stuff themย with a heavier filling made with a mixture of ricotta cheese, eggs,ย and mozzarella and topped them with a bread crumb mixture.
They were delicious but definitely too heavy, and much higher in fat and calories.
This Eggplant Rollatini Lightened is made differently.ย
Eggplant slices are quickly roasted then stuffed with a simple filling, and topped with a simple tomato sauce and grated cheese.
Simple recipe creates a very light and delicate texture but without sacrificing flavor.
Best of all, it is gluten-free!
My family enjoyed the lighter side of this eggplant rollatini.ย They did not miss the heavy ricotta cheese filling either.
Just anotherย delicious recipeย to get your family to eat more eggplant!
This rollatini is even terrific to serve as an appetizer, or as a side dish at dinner.
Perfect for meatless meals too!
Nothing fancy – just simple, light, and delicious!
Serve them warm and enjoy!ย ย …they won’t disappoint!
*Follow along with our step-by-step directions, or jump down for our full recipe card.
ย Ingredients for Eggplant Rollatini- Lightened!
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1 large eggplant
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1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
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1 cup shredded mozzarella
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1+1/2 cups tomato sauce ( I used our mom’s quickย marinara sauce)
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olive oil cooking spray
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chopped fresh basil
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olive oil cooking spray
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grated Romano Pecorino cheese
Directions to make Eggplant Rollatini:
1.ย Preheat oven to Roast at 375 degrees.ย Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray.ย Set aside.
Also, spray the second baking (8 x 11) dish with cooking spray, set it aside.
2.ย Rinse eggplant, dry with a paper towel, and cut off the top.
3.ย Hold the eggplant upright on top of a cutting board, and thinly slice off the outer skin, and discard.ย Then begin to slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices, rotating the eggplant to help slice easily.
QUICK TIPS and NOTES:ย
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If you keep the skin on the eggplant (as I did in our photos), they will become very charred and crispy.ย Some will like it … and some won’t.ย
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So for this recipe, I recommend removing the skins.ย
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You should get approximately 16 slices from one eggplant, depending on how thin you slice them.
4.ย Transfer slices into a large roasting pan.ย Lay them side by side, or slightlyย overlap them if youย need to.
5.ย Drizzle very lightly with some olive oil over them.ย Place pan in the oven on the center rack.
6.ย Roast eggplant slices for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly brown and softened, turning them over once halfway through.
7.ย Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
8.ย Change oven temperature (from Roast) to BAKE, and REDUCE temperature to 350 degrees.
9.ย Take each eggplant slice and lay it on a flat surface or on a plate. Then sprinkle about 1 to 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella over each.ย ย Pick up one end and roll the eggplant.ย Place each roll with seam side down, and lay them side by side into the prepared baking dish.
10.ย Spoon lightly some tomato sauce over each eggplant rollatini evenly.
11.ย Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella on top.
12.ย BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted.ย Remove from ovenย and sprinkle onย top with some grated Romano-Pecorino cheese andย fresh chopped basil.ย Serve warm.
Yields: 16 eggplant rollatini
Finally, you might enjoy a few more eggplant recipes.ย
Yield: 16 eggplant rollatini's
Eggplant Rollatini - Lightened!
Eggplant Rollatini - Lightened! Thin slices of eggplant are lightly roasted in the oven until softened; then lightly stuffed with shredded mozzarella, rolled into a roll, and topped with tomato sauce and pecorino cheese and baked until the cheese is fully melted.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1+ 1/2 cups tomato sauce ( I used our mom's quick marinara sauce)
- olive oil cooking spray
- chopped fresh basil
- olive oil cooking spray
- grated pecorino cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to Roast at 375 degrees F (190.6 C).
- Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Also, spray a second baking (8 x 11) dish with cooking spray, set aside.
- Rinse eggplant, dry with a paper towel, and cut off the top.
- Hold the eggplant upright on top of a cutting board, and thinly slice off the outer skin, and discard. Then begin to slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices, rotating the eggplant to help slice easily.
- Approximately 16 slices from one eggplant, depending on how thin you slice them. Transfer slices into a large roasting pan.
- Lay the slices side by side, or slightly overlap them if you need to.
- Drizzle very lightly with some olive oil over them. Place pan in the oven on center rack.
- Roast eggplant slices for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly brown and softened, turning them over once halfway through.
- Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Change oven (from Roast) to BAKE, and REDUCE temperature to 350 degrees (176.7 C).
- Take each eggplant slice and lay it on a flat surface or on a plate. Then sprinkle about 1 to 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella over each. Pick up one end and roll the eggplant. Place each roll with seam side down, and lay them side by side into the prepared ( 8 x 11) baking dish.
- Spoon lightly some tomato sauce over each eggplant rollatini evenly.
- Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella on top.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle on top with some grated pecorino cheese and fresh chopped basil. Serve warm.
- Yields: 16 eggplant rollatini
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servingsServing Size:
2 eggplant rollatiniAmount Per Serving: Calories: 50Total Fat: 2.6gCholesterol: 2mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 2.7gSugar: 3.7gProtein: 2.2g
Am trying this as it looks delicious but why do the pictures show the slices with the skin still on when the recipe calls for cutting it off? Can you make it either way?
HI Roey! To answer your question, yes you can do it both ways – with the skins on, or remove the skins. It’s a matter of preference. I prefer the eggplant rollatini with the skins on.
I will go in and edit that – so it’s clear and not confusing. Thanks so much for asking a great question and bringing it up to my attention. Enjoy this recipe! Have a great weekend! ๐
warmly,
Anna
My mouth is watering! They look delicious and I love how you've lightened them.
Ooo this sounds great! Love that you've lightened it up!
Very nice! And pretty! And good!
I love eggplants and this version without meat is just perfect. Thank you for this delicious looking recipe!
Thank you Sandra! Enjoy!
I can't get enough eggplant, i love it — and my only problem with all your eggplant recipes is…which one do I start with??
Lol…Sue – we can relate… Since we love them all – it's hard to choose. Enjoy and many thanks for stopping by! Xo
i love how you lightened up the dish and yet it still is hearty and rich and delicious.
Thanks you! We are on a calorie count these days … Enjoy! ๐
What a delicious looking dish. Love that you lightened it up.
Many thanks for the lovely comments Barbara, its always nice to hear from you! Have a great week! ๐
Well I could eat this everyday! I love all these eggplant recipes. Lightened up is pretty great this time of year – Christmas recovery you know. Have a great week!
We agree Tricia – It's definitely time for recovery! Thanks for stopping by, have a great evening!
I love how you've lightened this up! We love eggplant and will be happy to try this! ๐
So glad to hear! Thanks Betty! Have a great evening!
This looks so good! I can't believe it's lightened. I adore eggplants and this is one gorgeous dish. Can't wait to try it.
Thank you Amy! And we do too ! Thank you for your sweet comment.
Xoxo