Eggplant rollatini, a beloved Italian dish, traditionally involves frying and breadcrumbs, making it a labor-intensive and less healthy option. This article presents a low-carb, gluten-free version of the recipe that is both easy to prepare and delicious. This keto eggplant rollatini recipe offers a lighter, healthier twist on the classic Italian comfort food, perfect for weeknights or entertaining.
Why This Recipe Works
The key to this recipe's success lies in thinly slicing the eggplant, allowing it to melt in your mouth once baked. This version skips the breading and deep-frying, making it a light and healthy choice.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe include:
- Eggplant
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Egg
- Parsley
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Tomato sauce
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
Preparing the Eggplant
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice the eggplant: Cut off the top and bottom of a rinsed eggplant. Stand the eggplant upright on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the eggplant into ¼-inch vertical slices. Aim for approximately 12 slices. Using a mandolin ensures perfectly even slices.
- Salt the eggplant: Generously salt the eggplant slices on both sides. Lay them out on a single layer on a paper towel-lined baking sheet or clean dish cloths. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. This process will rid the eggplant of its excess moisture, preventing a soggy final product. After 30 minutes, dab away the released water and moisture with clean paper towels or a dish cloth.
- Pre-bake the eggplant: Place the eggplant slices on the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes, until the eggplant softens but is still a bit firm to work with without breaking apart. An alternative method is to grill the thin slices of eggplant in a hot, oiled pan or on your grill until tender and grill marks appear.
- Cool slightly: Allow the eggplant to cool slightly before handling.
Making the Cheese Filling
- Combine the cheeses: While the eggplant is cooking, combine the ricotta cheese, half cup of mozzarella, parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a bowl. Mix until well combined. For a lighter version, swap ricotta cheese for low-fat cottage cheese.
- Refrigerate: Keep the cheese mixture in the refrigerator until the eggplant is ready.
Assembling the Rollatini
- Heat the sauce: Heat the tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Set aside until ready to assemble. For a convenient, quick family meal, dress up store-bought marinara.
- Prepare the baking dish: Coat the bottom of a baking dish with a layer of the sauce.
- Stuff and roll: On a clean, flat surface, lay out the eggplant slices. Add a dollop of the cheese mixture to each slice, leaving a little room around the edges. Carefully roll the eggplant, ensuring it is not overstuffed to prevent the filling from falling out. Place each roll seam side down in the baking dish.
- Top with sauce and cheese: Repeat for all the eggplant slices. Top with extra sauce and the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake: Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the rollatini is hot and bubbly. To prevent the cheese from burning, start by baking the eggplant rollatini covered with aluminum foil for the first 15 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Although this classic Italian meal is deliciously satisfying on its own, it’s also great served with side dishes to make it a family feast. Soups, salads, mashed potatoes, rapini, garlic bread, or even pasta are all great options. Serve this rolled eggplant dish with extra marinara sauce and warm crusty bread for sopping up the leftover bits on the plate. Garnish with fresh chopped basil or parsley, if desired.
Tips and Tricks
- Slice Evenly: Try your best to slice the eggplant into even slices.
- Don't Skip Salting: Do not skip the salting process. It rids the eggplant of its excess moisture, which in turn avoids soggy eggplant. Lay the eggplant slices out on paper towels or a clean cloth after salting. Pat the excess water/moisture off of the eggplant slices with paper towel or a clean cloth.
- Pre-bake: Pre-bake the eggplant slices for 15 minutes (after the salting process is complete) before attempting to roll and stuff. This makes them tender and soft enough to work with.
- Don't Overstuff: Be careful not to overstuff the eggplant slices or the filling will fall out as you roll it.
- Roll Loosely: Don’t roll the eggplant slices too tightly.
- Cheese Generously: Don’t skimp out on the cheese!
- Cover with Foil: To prevent the cheese from burning, start by baking the eggplant rollatini covered with aluminum foil for the first 15 minutes.
Variations and Substitutions
- Spinach: Add spinach to the cheese mixture for added nutrients and flavor.
- Kale: Swap frozen spinach for frozen kale.
- Cottage Cheese: For more protein, swap out the ricotta for cottage cheese.
- Layered Casserole: Don’t want to roll the eggplant? Assemble the casserole in layers of grilled eggplant, ricotta, mozzarella, and marinara.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can prepare the eggplant rollatini ahead of time. Simply follow the recipe directions up until the baking step. Arrange them in a freezer/oven-safe container. They’ll be good frozen for up to 3 months.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Storing Leftovers
Any leftover eggplant rolls should be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that they will lose some of their freshness and become more soft as they sit. When ready to eat again, simply reheat in a hot oven or airfryer. Alternatively, you can use a microwave.
Freezing Instructions
Yes! That’s the beauty of this eggplant rollatini recipe. You can freeze rollatini before or after baking it. If you freeze it uncooked, store the rollatini in an oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and freeze for up to three months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. No need to thaw before cooking. However, they will take about an hour to cook from frozen (possibly even a little bit more) as opposed to the normal 40 minutes. You can also freeze baked leftover rollatini in individual containers.
Health and Diet
This recipe is vegetarian, low carb, keto-friendly, and the perfect dish to celebrate meatless Monday! It’s a great option for a variety of diets. This recipe has a balanced blend of protein, carbs, and fat. Because there’s no pasta, it qualifies as a keto recipe and can be made even healthier using low-fat or part-skim ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
What's the Difference?
Eggplant Parm vs. Eggplant Rollatini
While both are incredibly delicious Italian dishes, the main difference is that eggplant parm is normally sliced into rounds then layered while eggplant rollatini is cut into long slices then stuffed. Eggplant parmesan is breaded and fried, served with marinara and cheese, while rollatini is grilled, stuffed, and rolled, usually served in a casserole. Both are loaded with cheese and tomato sauce and sometimes are breaded and fried first and then baked.
Rollatini vs. Involtini
Rollatini are also called involtini, roulade, and roll-ups. Basically, thin slices of grilled eggplant wrapped around a ricotta cheese filling arranged in a baking dish with tomato sauce and extra cheese on top.
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