Eggplant and Ricotta Rolls with Tomato Sauce recipe
| Serves | 6 |
| Prep time | 1 hour |
| Cook time | 20 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour, 20 minutes |
| Meal type | Main Dish |
| Allergy list | Milk |
| Misc | Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
| Region | Italian |
| Description | Everything but the carbs in this delightful riff on lasagna that combines eggplant, ricotta, mozzarella and a hearty tomato sauce with or without Italian sausage. A perfect Sunday night family dinner! |
| Submitted by |
Your note
Photo
Please note: only the ingredient list has been updated, you will need to allow for different cooking times, temperatures and quantities in each step.
Ingredients
- 3 medium eggplants (topped, tailed and sliced lengthwise into 0.5cm (1/4") slices)
- 2fl oz olive oil
- 1fl oz olive oil
- 7oz sweet italian sausage (casings removed and crumbled)
- 1 yellow onion (peeled and chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (mashed with 1 teaspoon of sea salt)
- 17.5oz plum tomatoes (seeded, cored and roughly chopped)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 8.8oz ricotta cheese
- 4.4oz mozzarella cheese (cut into small pieces)
- 2.1oz parmesan cheese (grated)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon flat italian parsley (finely minced)
- salt (to taste)
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 230°C / 450°F / Gas Mark 8.
Step 2
Prepare the eggplant: arrange the slices on a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and set aside for 1-2 hours.
Step 3
Pat dry and brush with ¼ cup of olive oil on each side and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes until the eggplant is lightly browned. Turn the slices and bake for an additional 5 – 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Step 4
Adjust the oven temperature to 180ºC / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4.
Step 5
Place the plum tomatoes in a saucepan with the sugar and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to break up. Puree the tomatoes in a food processor fitted with a steel blade or with a hand held processor until smooth.
Step 6
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep-sided skillet or Dutch Oven. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions begin to soften. Add the sausage and brown for 4-5 minutes until thoroughly cooked – make sure the sausage has lost its pink color. Add the tomato paste and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
Step 7
Add the tomato puree and stir to combine. Cover and cook the sauce for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 8
Combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl, using the back of a fork to mash the two cheeses together.
Step 9
Place one teaspoon of the cheese mixture on the wide end of the eggplant slice and roll the eggplant around the cheese. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
Step 10
Spread half of the sauce on the bottom of a shallow baking dish, then arrange the eggplant and cheese rolls over them. Use the remaining sauce to fill in the space between the rolls. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top of the dish.
Step 11
Bake in the oven until the sauce begins to bubble lightly.
Post a comment
Add a photo
Have you made this eggplant and ricotta rolls with tomato sauce recipe? Show us how it turned out. It will appear under the main image on the recipe page!
By adding a photo you agree to the terms and conditions. If you login you'll get credit for the photo, plus it will appear in your user profile.
Private note
You must login to save recipe notes.
See the other features you get when you login.
What are private notes?
These notes appear on the recipe page and are visible only to you.
If you feel that the chocolate cake you just made needs more chocolate then remind yourself here for when you cook it again.