Eggplant Rolitini

Yield: 30-33 Pieces

Rating: It's a multi step recipe for sure. Not hard, just takes some time. But it's a special dish that tastes awesome and looks impressive. Everyone always compliments this one.

Ingredients:

2 large or 3 smaller eggplants

Olive oil or canola spray

1 teaspoon + ½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 whole egg or 2 egg whites

1 cup shredded Muenster cheese

2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves

2 teaspoons garlic powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups jarred or fresh tomato sauce

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (or 350 convection).

Take your eggplants and cut off their green tops. Flip them over and a small piece at the bottom so they are able to almost stand on their own. With your eggplants standing up vertically, slice the eggplant length wise into about ½ inch slices. Lay the eggplants down on baking sheets without overlapping them. Spray them with oil spray and sprinkle generously with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Flip the eggplant slices over and repeat on the other side. Bake uncovered for 18-22 minutes. You want the eggplants to begin to blacken- like a dark brown in some spots.

In a medium bowl – combine the ricotta cheese, muenster cheese, egg, parsley, garlic powder, black pepper and the ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix well.

Take a small Pyrex dish (or any other oven-to-table dish that is on the smaller side) and line with one cup of the tomato sauce. Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture at the wider end of the eggplant. Using your hands, roll the eggplant up and place in the baking dish. After all the eggplants are filled, rolled, and lined up in a single layer in the dish (feel free to squeeze them in - no such thing as overcrowding), take your last cup of sauce and brush it over the top of the eggplant. Cook uncovered for 30-35 minutes. You want the eggplant edges to begin to blacken.

Plan Ahead:

The entire dish can be made up to 3 days before. Alternatively, you can roast the eggplant slices 2 days before and bake the rolitini on the day you serve.