Italian Eggplant and Ricotta Involtini

Italian Eggplant and Ricotta Involtini. A wonderful seasonal dish featuring eggplant/aubergine stuffed with a creamy lemony ricotta filling, rolled up and baked in a simple tomato basil sauce. The perfect summer appetizer, side dish, or full light meal with some bread on the side to soak up the sauce.

Song of the day: Piove (Ciao ciao bambina) - Domenico Modugno

Eggplant/aubergine

Truly, eggplant, or aubergine, or melanzana as we call it in Italian, is one of our favorite vegetables. It is so versatile and great in many dishes, and it is definitely a staple of Italian cuisine. Eggplant is nutritious, full of vitamins and fiber, and low in calories. You can find many recipes on our blog featuring this purple vegetable, from appetizer, to pasta, side dish, pizza, snack, or as a meal on its own. We simply love it.

What is "involtini"?

Simply, "involtini" is the Italian name for rolls. Sometimes I have seen the name "rollatini", but this is not an actual Italian word ;). Involtini can be made of thin slices of meat (chicken, veal, beef, or pork) or vegetables, then filled, and rolled onto themselves.

Why this Italian Eggplant and Ricotta Involtini is a must-try

• Firstly, it is so delicious and luxurious.
• Secondly, simple fresh ingredients makes this super healthy.
• Thirdly, simple to prepare.
• Lastly, very economical.

Ingredients

Relatively simple Italian Eggplant and Ricotta Involtini recipe with some great ingredients. Let's take a look:

• Eggplant, of course.

Then, for the tomato sauce:

• Onion.
• Carrot.
• Evo oil. We only use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.
• Chili flakes.
• Garlic. One or two cloves maximum.
• Tomato polpa (or passata, or whole tomatoes)
• Salt and pepper.
• A few basil leaves.
• Tomato paste.

Now the filling and topping:

• Ricotta. Drain, if too watery.
• Lemon juice and zest. Whenever a recipe calls for citrus zest, only use organic.
• Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
• Bread crumbs.
• Thyme. We used lemon thyme which gives an additional lemony flavor.
• Salt and pepper.
• Bechamel or heavy cream. We used store-bought bechamel from an Italian store.
• Grated Asiago.
• Slivered basil.

How to make Italian Eggplant and Ricotta Involtini

1. For one thing, we like to get our tomato sauce going before we get started. In a medium cast pot drizzle in olive oil. Throw in a pinch of chili flakes, the whole garlic and the finely chopped carrot and onion.
2. Turn heat to a medium setting, and let that sauté for 3-4 minutes until carrot and onion softens. Add in the canned tomatoes and a squeeze of the tomato paste, then season with salt and pepper, and stir. Partially cover the pot with the lid and lower the heat. Let that simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Now, prep your eggplant. Wash, dry, and cut it into long somewhat thin slices.
4. This step is purely optional and it is meant to remove some bitterness from the eggplant. We often skip it. Take those eggplant slices, salt them and stack one on top of the other in a colander. Let that sit for about half to one hour. Take eggplant out of colander, rinse, and pat dry. Place on a plate.
5. In a large sauté pan, drizzle in some olive oil. Bring to a medium heat and put some eggplant slices in. Fry until they soften and a golden color happens then turn over and do the same for the other side. Place on a paper towel lined dish. Continue until all the eggplant has been cooked. Set aside.
6. In a small bowl, spoon in your ricotta, squeeze in lemon juice, sprinkle in Parmigiano, fresh thyme, and bread crumbs. Give it a good mix until well incorporated, then taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.
   

Time to assemble our Italian Eggplant and Ricotta Involtini

• Get a nice work space cleared. Get a 7" x 11" baking dish. Spoon a nice amount of tomato sauce into the bottom of the dish, spreading it to cover the area.
• Take a slice of the fried eggplant and place on to your work surface. Scoop a heaping teaspoon of your ricotta filling and put onto the very beginning of the eggplant. Then start to roll keeping it tight, however, not too tight that the filling will be squeezed out.
• Once you get to the end, grab the filled eggplant roll and place it seam side down into the sauce of the baking dish.
• Continue this until all the eggplant is filled and rolled.

Finishing touches before baking

• We have all the eggplant rolled and placed into the baking dish leaving some space in-between so the topping can seep in.
• Pour the bechamel or heavy cream, whichever you have, over the center of the filled eggplant rolls. Then sprinkle the grated Asiago over the top. Keep some grated Asiago to sprinkle fresh on top after the dish comes out of the oven.

Time for the Italian Eggplant and Ricotta Involtini to go into the oven

Our oven is preheated to 375° F, and our Italian Eggplant and Ricotta Involtini goes onto the middle rack to bake for about 30-35 minutes. When done, take out of oven. If you have kept some grated Asiago, you can now sprinkle some on top. Now take a look. Does that not look fabulous?

The best part, let's have a taste

Finally, we are so excited to give this eggplant dish a try. It looks wonderful, plated so delicately. So far so good. The eggplant is so tender and easy to cut into, more so the aroma coming off this dish is mouthwatering. A moment of silence please, lol.

Wow, so tasty! The rich sauce, so sweet and balanced with the carrot, onion, and garlic. The eggplant is luscious, plump, and tender, and combined with the ricotta filling is just heavenly. The melted Asiago and the bechamel are icing on the cake, and offer such a delightful level to the whole. This is a win win dish.

Once again, we have done a fabulous job. We just wanted to say thank you so much for joining us in our creative Italian kitchen. Always a pleasure to cook with you!

Happy cooking!

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