Stuffed eggplant rolls
July 1, 2017
: 6-8
: 30 min
: 20 min
: 50 min
: medium
Eggplant is one of my favourite vegetables to cook with as it's so versatile and the soft flesh make delicious babaganoush. The origin of this recipe must be credited to the inspirational Nigella Lawson and her recipe for involtini, but to make them more substantial, both in terms of size & taste, I use quinoa in the mixture. These taste infinitely better when made in advance and they freeze / reheat / keep their shape beautifully.
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants - sliced lengthwise
- Olive oil to coat eggplant slices
- 200 grams cooked quinoa
- 100 feta cheese (I use one made from goat's milk)
- Handful of sultanas
- 1 onion - chopped
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 10 cherry tomatoes - halved
- Freshly chopped basil (I use the whole plant - stems & all)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Handful of cashew or pine nuts
- A jar of passata
- 1 cup grated pecorino
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 175:C
- Step 2 Slice eggplant lengthwise & depending on their size, you should get about 14-18 slices
- Step 3 Brush with olive oil. I use a kitchen paintbrush as the eggplant tends to soak up the oil very quickly and this stops me using too much
- Step 4 Cook for 20 minutes until brown.
- Step 5 Panfry the garlic and onions until soft and set aside
- Step 6 Cook quinoa according to packet instructions and when ready, mix in the feta, sultanas, tomatoes, fresh basil, cashews and/or pine nuts, and half of the grated pecorino.
- Step 7 Add onion & garlic and mix well
- Step 8 Now for the fun part! Take an eggplant slice and add a spoonful of the filling at the wide end of the slice.
- Step 9 Roll and place in a baking dish. Continue until all slices have been rolled. I use a square baking dish and it fits approx. 6 rolls quite snugly side by side – so 12 in total
- Step 10 Cover with passata and remaining grated pecorino and cook for 20 minutes at 200:C.
- Step 11 Alternatively you can freeze them before cooking, the defrost and cook on the day.
- Step 12 Best served warm with lamb or steak or just as good on their own – enjoy!
- Step 13
After a beautiful summer’s meal at your place years and years ago, I still make a variation of this now. ❤️
It’s a keeper for sure and brings back wonderful, warm memories of your time with us ❤️ This recipe has never disappointed nor disappeared from my table and is great all year round 🌞 ❄️☔️🌬