Eggplant Rollatini with Spinach & Ricotta

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F/. Cut the tops off the eggplant/aubergine then cut into slices around 1cm / 1/4 inch thick. Place on a lined baking tray, brush with a little olive oil (2 tbsp) and bake for 20 minutes until tender. Set aside to cool.

Step 2

Meanwhile add half tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan and add the spinach, stir so it doesn’t burn until completely wilted. Remove from the pan and let cool.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

Sauté for 1 minute then add the chopped tomatoes. Rinse out any excess tomato from the can with 1/4 cup (60ml) water and add it to the sauce alongside the tomato paste, oregano and season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce reduce and simmer for 15 minutes.

Step 5

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 thoroughly combined.

Step 6

To assemble the eggplant roll-ups, add a spoonful of ricotta mixture (about a heaped tbsp) in the centre of a slice of eggplant then roll it up. Repeat with the rest of the eggplant and ricotta mixture.

Step 7

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. Top with mozzarella then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the mozzarella is golden and melted and everything is heated right through.