Last weekend, I bought an eggplant at the Farmer’s Market with no idea what I was going to do with it. I like eggplant fried and have attempted to make it other ways before with mixed results. I’m generally ok with it, but never say to myself, if only I had some eggplant right now. So, I putzed around online yesterday and came across a recipe on Epicurious that was strips of eggplant rolled with cheese and tomato sauce. This, is something I can get behind. I made it last night and was very pleased.
It reminded me of a lasagna, but it was good for me. How cool is that? The process was easy and I will certainly be making it again soon. The original recipe called for grilling the eggplant outside on the grill, but that seemed like more effort than I was interested in. Someone in the recipe comments recommended broiling and that is what I went with. Fast, easy, and if you cover your tray with foil, quick cleanup too. And this red sauce is my basic go to sauce for most Italian cooking. I could make it in my sleep. It is a staple. If you have leftover, you can always put it on pizza or pasta.
I used one medium eggplant and ate about half of the rolls myself. The original recipe called for one large one, but this makes enough sauce that you could use two eggplants and get 16 rolls out of it if you wanted. Because trust me, you’ll want to eat a couple.
Yay for having a new non-meat dinner to get behind!
Eggplant Rolls with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
- olive oil
- 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large eggplant or two medium sized
- 6 oz soft, spreadable goat cheese
- 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
Make sauce: Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in 1 tablespoon oil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
Broil eggplant while sauce cooks: Turn oven on to broil.
Peel 2-inch-wide strips of skin from opposite sides of eggplant and discard. Holding a knife parallel to a peeled side, cut eggplant lengthwise into 8 (1/3-inch-thick) slices. 3Brush both sides of slices with olive oil then season with salt and pepper.
Broil five minutes on each side on the top rack of the oven.
When sauce is cooked, put half the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
Assemble eggplant rolls: Stir together cheese, basil, pepper, and salt. Divide cheese mixture among slices, spreading each with a thin layer.
Roll up each slice, beginning with a short end, and put in pan on top of the sauce.
Then you will spoon the remaining sauce over the top and throw back in your oven, which is off, but still warm, for about 5 minutes. You’re not really cooking anything at this point, but letting the cheese and everything else be warm together for a minute.
Then you enjoy!
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