Eggplant Rollatini

I am still obsessed with vegetables.  This week I decided to try an eggplant.  It was delicious!  Although the sun-dried tomatoes were a bit much for me, the rest was perfect.

I found the recipe on Pinterest.  Anyone surprised?

Overall I'd give it a 3.5 stars.  Maybe if I had used smaller tomatoes, it would have been better.

Pesto Eggplant Rollatine

Total Time: about 1 hour

ingredients:

3 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium-sized eggplants (about 3 pounds), peeled, and sliced lengthwise into 3/8-inch thick strips
salt and black pepper
2 cups marinara sauce
2/3 cup prepared basil pesto
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
2/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two rimmed baking sheets.

Combine the oil and garlic in a small bowl. Brush the oil on both sides of the eggplant slices and arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheets. Season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper.

Place the baking sheets side by side in the oven (if possible). Roast for 20-25 minutes, until well browned and very tender, turning once halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees F.
(If your baking sheets don't fit side by side, place one on the middle rack and one on the bottom rack and rotate them a couple of times during roasting.)

Spread about 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread each eggplant slice with a spoonful of pesto and top with a pinch of each kind of cheese, a few spinach leaves and a couple of sun-dried tomatoes. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over the rolls and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and the rolls are heated through. Serve hot.

Makes about 4-5 servings.

Nat's Notes:
1. My eggplants were on the small side, so I got all my rolls into a 2 quart (7x11) baking dish.

adapted from The Roasted Vegetable by Andrea Chesman