Eggplant involtini — tender slices of eggplant rolled into ricotta-stuffed parcels baked with homemade tomato sauce — never tastes better than this time of year, when the eggplant and tomatoes begin arriving in full force. Until last week, however, the dish, which requires salting and frying the eggplant, felt SO fussy, the thought of standing at the stovetop always deterring me from making it.
But last Friday after roasting eggplant slices for a sandwich, I felt inspired to use the same technique for the involtini, which, as several commenters had noted already, works like a charm. By simply brushing the eggplant slices with oil, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and roasting them, 20 minutes of standing at the stovetop was saved. The process proved so painless, I made the involtini again on Sunday — eggplant involtini twice in three days is a first, a feat never realized in the past five years.
Two caveats: homemade sauce, fresh ricotta. With these two components of the dish prepared (or purchased) ahead of time, eggplant involtini demands little effort. For the first time in a long time I made the ricotta from scratch, which reminded me how easy and delicious it is: line a sieve with cheesecloth, boil milk and cream, add salt and vinegar, strain. It takes about 25 minutes total.
Final discovery: The adorable eggplant bundles can be assembled ahead of time, nestled in their tomato sauce-slicked dish, and stashed in the fridge until needed: in 25 minutes, the pan emerges from the oven, tomato sauce thick and bubbly, ricotta rolls bronzed and oozing. It’s a beautiful thing. Do it.
Components: roasted eggplant, tomato sauce, ricotta seasoned with lemon zest, salt, and breadcrumbs:
Eggplant Involtini, Simplified
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2
Original, fussier recipe can be found here. Two ideas for tomato sauce: Marcella Hazan's (ready in about 1 hr.) or Red Pepper Tomato (ready in about 30 min) — haven't tried the red pepper tomato sauce with the involtini, though I imagine it's good. Homemade ricotta is easy and delicious. Updates to the original recipe include skipping the salting and, in place of frying, roasting the eggplant for 10 minutes on one side, 8 minutes on the other, brushed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper. I've also simplified the filling by omitting the thyme and lemon juice—I just used lemon zest and salt and the breadcrumbs. The recipe is easily doubled: Use two sheetpans to roast the eggplant, rotating as necessary to ensure even cooking. Double the filling. Use a 9 x13-inch baking vessel or two 9-inch vessels. Definitely double the recipe if making for more than 2 people ... I can nearly eat a single recipe on my own.
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 eggplants
- kosher salt and pepper
- olive oil for brushing
- homemade tomato sauce (see suggestions above)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- freshly Parmigiano Reggiano for serving
for the filling:
- 1/2 cup fresh or panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta or homemade
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a sheetpan with parchment paper, a Silpat, or rub lightly with olive oil.Trim the stem end of each eggplant. Stand the eggplant vertically, and make 1/4-inch thick cuts down to create long slices. Arrange on sheetpan. Pour about 3 tablespoons of oil into a small dish for convenience. Brush each eggplant slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Flip. Brush other side with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 8 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the filling. In a bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, ricotta, lemon zest, and salt.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Spoon tomato sauce (about 3/4 cup) into a 9-inch round baking dish or similar-sized vessel till bottom of dish is covered in a thin layer. Place a spoonful (about 2 teaspoons) of filling at one end of each of the eggplant slices. Roll the slice around the filling and place it seam-side down in the dish on top of the tomato sauce. Drizzle the cream over the rolls to moisten. Bake until the edges of sauce around the sides of the dish are dark and the rolls are nicely caramelized, 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with the parmesan before serving.
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Sara says
This looks fantastic! It’s going on my menu for next week.
alexandra says
So great to hear this, Sara! And to hear from you 🙂
Phoebe @ Feed Me Phoebe says
This was the first recipe I ever made of yours, way back when I was at BGSK! I love it so so much. excited to try the simplified version. xoxo
alexandra says
No way?! This makes me so happy, Phoebe 🙂 🙂 🙂 xoxo
Erin@WellPlated says
We had eggplant involtini at a fancy Italian restaurant and although I was in love, I never thought to make it at home. This looks FABULOUS!
alexandra says
You should! Erin, it’s really easy! And soooo good.
Dina says
Do you have a suggestion for replacing the breadcrumbs with something else? To make it gluten free and/or sorta paleo-ish?
alexandra says
Hi Dina,
I think you just need something to thicken the ricotta a bit, so that it doesn’t completely ooze everywhere. You could certainly try just leaving it out, though it may be too oozy. Or you could use gluten-free breadcrumbs. Or you could try an egg? I’ve seen that in another involtini recipe. Or, you could use a mix of cheeses, such as ricotta, parm, and mozzarella, which might make it less oozy (ricotta is so soft on its own). Ummm, let me think, maybe some chopped nuts? Or almond flour?
Dee says
Another option is to strain the ricotta so it is less wet to start with. That should work.
alexandra says
That is a great idea, Dee!
Dee says
Was so jazzed by this post I instantly went out to get the milk needed to make the ricotta. I had a jug of cream that was left over from a family gathering and this was the perfect solution to using it up. Then I found tomato sauces in my freezer. Voila. Actually ventured out in the heat to buy the eggplant. Now I have a lovely pan of them ready to cook later. Tonight I had to address the tons of cabbage, potatoes and a chicken leg…but tomorrow – Involtini! One evening’s work for several meals. Love it! May link to this on our CSA site.
alexandra says
Oh, Dee, I’m so happy to hear this! I had a similar experience last night addressing the corn, greens, and spring onions before the next delivery of veg arrived. I made fresh corn polenta for the first time in years. So happy you have the involtini tucked away ready for the oven. So great to hear from you, too 🙂
Dee says
Oh Yum! I totally get it about not serving very many..I’m stuffed but happy having eaten more than half.
alexandra says
Haha, I love it. Good to know we’re in good company 🙂
Savory Love says
We are on the hunt for new and outstanding eggplant recipes at the moment, and we think this one might have shot to the top of the list. It looks so delicious!
alexandra says
Yes! We all need outstanding (and ideally) simple eggplant recipes in our lives!
Brenna says
Okay, wow. How amazing is this meal?? I happened to grab a couple of eggplants out of my garden and threw this lovely mess of yum together. I used the red pepper tomato sauce you posted and was not disappointed. I will be making this again as soon as my tomatoes and peppers get red . . . I just hope the eggplants will keep on keeping on in concert. Seriously, this will be a go to meal — thank you, Alexandra!!
alexandra says
So happy to hear this, Brenna! How awesome that you are growing eggplant?! I wish I knew how to garden. I hope your eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers emerge together, too 🙂 So happy to know the red pepper-tomato sauce works well here. Thanks for writing in!
Darcy says
This looks delicious and so cute. I often buy eggplants and then have no idea what to actually do with them. Thank you (as always) for solving my food problems 🙂
alexandra says
My pleasure, Darcy!! xo
Margo, Thrift at Home says
I’ve never heard of this recipe before, but it sounds amazing! My family is not a big fan of egg plant, but I wonder. . . . and I also think I would grill the slices of eggplant instead of roasting it to keep more heat outside.
I agree that homemade ricotta is so darn easy and delicious – the hard part is using up the whey.
alexandra says
So true, Margo! I haven’t been very creative with my uses, which have extended mostly to bread.
Definitely grill the eggplant! I’ve seen that in other recipes. You just need the eggplant to be pliable so that it will roll easily. Good luck!
healthy meal recipes says
Woahh….looking at this itself is making me mouthwatering.Its a different way of cooking eggplant.Thanks for sharing this recipe.
alexandra says
Sure thing!
Alexis Schaffler says
Looks delectable. How well do you think involuting freezes?
alexandra says
I bet well! Go for it!