Fork and Beans

Making food fun for the family

Eggplant and Heather

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One of my most favorite aspects about blogging is meeting people who are not only quality writers/photographers/recipe creators, but they are quality people as well. Heather, over at Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes, {how much do you love THAT name?} is just that type of person. An all-around beautiful person, Heather inspires me to take better pictures, to push myself with my recipes {take this recipe for example, she is always doing new and inventive ways to eat}, and to be a more supportive presence among my blogging friends. I heart this girl and you should too.

Can I tell you how excited I am to be part of Cara’s ah-maz-ing “people you should know” line up here at Fork and Beans; super excited to say the least. Honestly I’m not sure who found who, but what I do know for sure is that I fell instantly head over heels in love with Cara and her magnificent Blog – Cara was definitely blessed with the creativity gene along with the best personality and sense of humor a girl could have, she was my first true “blogging buddy“ that I connected with. So, today I am sharing with you a savory recipe full of flavor that will have you going back for seconds, a recipe that will convert all those non eggplant haters into lovers….lovers of eggplant that is.

Eggplant Rollatini is perfect for a fancy pants dinner with your parents, for a boy (or girl) you are trying to impress or a quick weeknight dinner .

Eggplant is thinly sliced and salted. The salting part is not optional, this is what separates exceptional from eh, I think I’ll pass on seconds. Salting the eggplant will release the bitterness of the eggplant and will also help with tenderizing.

A Parsley Tofu Ricotta is whipped up in your food processor – this is my stand by “ricotta” recipe, it is very forgiving you can toss in any herb or green you have on hand (the ones that make sense of course, not quite sure how well dill would do in this mix)


A dollop of tofu ricotta is placed at on end of the eggplant slice, then rolled up and placed seam side down in a baking dish that has a thin layer of tomato sauce spread on the bottom.

A bit more sauce is spread over the rollatini, then topped with fresh baby spinach & pine nuts.


Then baked for a bit, while the rollatini are baking, please feel free to dance around your living room while singing at the top of your lungs – I like to do this often while dancing with my cat.

This dish is sure to get you a round of applause, double kisses on the cheek or a second date

Eggplant Rollatini
Makes approximately 8 rollatini (4 servings)
Easily doubled
You will Need:
1 large eggplant top and bottom removed, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 tbsp kosher salt for salting the sliced eggplant

For the tofu ricotta:
7 oz extra firm tofu drained
1 garlic clove
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp olive oil
Handful of parsley
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt

2/3 cup tomato sauce ( ¼ cup for the bottom of the pan & ½ cup for the top)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
¼ cup pine nuts
Drizzle of olive oil
Assembly:
Pre heat oven to 400*
Prep and slice your eggplant
On a few sheets of paper towels line your eggplant up the sprinkle both sides with salt – allow to sit for a minimum of 10 minutes, longer is great if you have the time (up to 20 minutes)
While the eggplant is salting, make your tofu ricotta. In a food processor add tofu through salt, blend well until you reach your desired consistency – I prefer a more smooth tofu ricotta
Spread ¼ cup of sauce in your baking dish – an 8×8 square dish works well or a round pie plate
After the eggplant has sat for the desired amount of time, place a dollop (amount will vary depending on the size of the slice you are working with) at one end of the eggplant and roll up. Place seam side down in the baking dish and repeat until all your eggplant is used up.

Spread the remaining ½ cup of sauce over the rollatini (feel free to use more sauce to suite your taste). Top with Baby Spinach, pine nuts and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the eggplant is tender and the sauce bubbly.
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 – 10 minutes prior to serving.

Enjoy!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. This was great! I am new to DF/GF and was a little skeptical. WOW! The ricotta is really good. Thank you so very much!

  2. This is the VEGANOMICON recipe for eggplant rollatini with spinach and toasted pinenuts, right? Or is there something you really changed about the recipe? And if yes could you tell me why? I would like to make the VCON recipe for a friend and it would be nice knowing of something is “not perfect” about it!

    • Hi Clara. I can’t give you an answer to this, seeing that this is not my recipe–it was a guest post. But as far as I know, this is her recipe, not VEGANOMICON’S. Not sure if that helps at all but it’s all I got 😉

  3. Wow this looks amazing. I love the idea of the tofu ricotta I do something kinda similar with raw cashews, but I will have to try it out with the tofu. YUM! Thanks for sharing Heather.
    I love these people you should know posts, so fun to check out new-to-me bloggers. Thanks for doing this, Cara!

    • The first half of guest bloggers is coming to end…only to be greeted with a second round. And guess who is on the list? It’s you! It’s you! 🙂

  4. Ooh, Manja! Eggplant rollatini is one of my faves. I like rolling things up and like Italian food 🙂 and Italians. This looks deliciouis. Thank you for a great guest post. I am now following your pancake blog.

  6. I was waiting for Heather to be one of your featured people you should know! I’m glad that I’ve already gotten to know both of you and your blogs 🙂
    I think I’ve only had eggplant rollatini once, and it was at a bad buffet so needless to say it didn’t exactly turn me on to the idea…but now your recipe makes me want to try it again!

    • Eeeewww, your bad buffet experience is giving me nightmares. Yuck. Funny how one incident like that can alter your perception about something for a long time, huh? Try it again!! But this time with fresh ingredients, made by Heather boo 🙂 Better yet, let’s have Heather just make it for us…

    • If you two get yourself to me or I too you I will aboslutely cook this for you both AND make the Strawberry Quinoa Cake – sound like a deal?

      • You are just the nicest! That would be the best meal! And I’ll take those pretty flowers you offered too 🙂
        And yes Cara, I don’t think I ate anything good at that lunch, I should have just stuck to the salad bar where things were somewhat more fresh!

  7. I am one of those too.. I like eggplants only certain ways.. and some other ways will make me run out the door!.. love this rollatini though.. with all that delicious sauce and ricotta.. i should give it a try!

    • It seems like there are a lot of us in that corner 🙂 I am with you too Richa, but this really does sound so good! I am dying to try that ricotta.

    • I am so one of those people too- this is my absolute favorite way to eat eggplant – besides the way my lebanese friend serves it – cured and stuffed with ground pinenuts and a bunch of spices – amazing!

    • Oooohhhh macadamia nuts! Now I need to try both versions. I will wait patiently for your nut ricotta recipe Heather 🙂

      • I didn’t realize that one was unique – I’m not sure I remember who I learned it from. Guess it’s time for me to tweak and post. 🙂

      • It is really great & EASY peasy. I think I feel an italian recipe in the works. 🙂

    • Willow, Cara you guys are the best – I cannot wait to see what beautiful masterpiece Willow comes up with, from the sounds of it Cara really wants a race themed post from you Willow 🙂

      xoxo

  11. i remember how i found heather! i CONSTANTLY clicked on her pics on foodgawker. eventually i thought to myself, “i obviously love EVERYTHING this gal makes, i guess i should add her to my feed!” and then i think i left her a comment telling her 😉

    another great one, heather! your photos are gorgeous, your recipes are gorgeous, and you are gorgeous <3

    • And I remember that you said exactly that when you became a follower, i can’t tell you how awesome you made me feel after I read your first comment and that you continue to make me smile with each and every lovely comment you leave over at SMBP – xoxox

    • How is it that you have not met Heather yet? I seriously have this imaginary world in my brain where all of you are friends already 🙂 ha. Be prepared, Nora–all of her recipes are gorgeous like this one! xo

    • Hi Nora! Talk about some big shoes to follow, after your first guest post, I remember thinking to myself…wow this girl is genius!

  15. Yummo! Yet another cracker of a blog-introduction…. any gal who rolls tofu in eggplant is OK with me 🙂 Thanks to BOTH of you lovely ladies!