Eggplant Roll-Ups with Spinach and Ricotta

Ingredients

  • 2 eggplants
  • 15 oz canned chopped tomatoes
  • 1 shallot
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 8.5 oz Ricotta
  • 8.5 oz (1 1/8 cup) spinach
  • 1 ball mozzarella
  • 1 tbsp parmesan
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the tops off the eggplant then cut into slices around 1/4 inch thick. Place on a lined baking tray, brush with a little olive oil and bake for 20 minutes until tender. Set aside to cool since you’ll be rolling with your hands!
  • Meanwhile add half tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan and add the spinach, stir until completely wilted. Remove from the pan and let cool.
  • To make the tomato sauce, add a tbsp of olive oil to the frying pan. Add the finely chopped shallot and garlic to the pan.
  • Sauté for 1 minute then add the chopped tomatoes. Rinse out any excess tomato juice first, then add the tomatoes to the sauce along with the tomato paste, oregano and season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce reduce and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Squeeze out any extra moisture from the wilted spinach then finely chop and add to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix everything together until combined.
  • To assemble the eggplant roll-ups, add a spoonful of ricotta mixture in the center of a slice of eggplant then roll it up. Repeat with the rest of the eggplant and ricotta mixture.
  • Add 3/4 of the tomato sauce to the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the eggplant roll-ups in the baking dish then top with the remaining sauce. (see step-by-step process below) Top with mozzarella then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the mozzarella is golden and melted and everything is heated through.

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