The best low-carb Eggplant Rollatini, made with thin slices of eggplant filled with a spinach and cheese ricotta filling, topped with marinara and mozzarella cheese. No frying, no breadcrumbs!
Eggplant Rollatini
This baked Eggplant Rollatini with Spinach is my favorite way to enjoy eggplant all summer long! It’s decadent, low-carb, and plant-based comfort food at its best. It’s light with no breading and no frying. I love it and think it’s better than most eggplant recipes I order at restaurants, which are typically fried and loaded with calories. You may also like this Baked Eggplant Parmesan dish.
If you’re not a fan of eggplant, I know this rollatini recipe will change your mind. The eggplant is sliced so thin (I used my mandolin for perfectly even slices) that it melts in your mouth once baked. Since eggplants aren’t all the exact same size, start checking it for doneness after it’s baked for 45 minutes.
What is the difference between eggplant parm and eggplant rollatini?
Eggplant parmesan typically consists of fried, breaded eggplant, topped with sauce and cheese before baking. Rollatini is similar except that the eggplant is rolled around a cheese filling before baking. My healthier version skips the breading and frying and it’s just as good!
Eggplant Rollatini Ingredients:
Here’s what is in my healthy eggplant rollatini.
- Vegetables: Eggplant, frozen spinach
- Cheese: Part-skim ricotta cheese, pecorino romano, mozzarella cheese
- Sauce: Marinara sauce
- Other: Garlic, egg, salt, and pepper
Tips for evenly slicing eggplant for rollatini:
- I recommend using a mandolin rather than a knife for thin, even eggplant strips. I use the OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline (affil link).
- I prefer to use two medium eggplants so my slices all come out evenly. I save the odd-sized pieces for another recipe, like this delicious Eggplant and Tomato Sauce. But if you prefer to use one large eggplant and don’t mind all your rolls coming out different sizes, go for it.
Should I bake Eggplant Rollatini before freezing?
You can freeze rollatini before or after baking it. If you freeze it uncooked, store the rollatini in an oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and freeze for up to three months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. You can also freeze baked leftover rollatini in individual containers. You can either warm it in the oven or the microwave.
Variations:
- Sub the homemade marinara sauce for jarred to save time.
- Swap frozen spinach for frozen kale. You can also steam or sauté fresh spinach and squeeze out the liquid.
- If you don’t have ricotta, switch it out with cottage cheese.
- Add mushrooms for an extra vegetable.
- For extra protein, add lean ground turkey or Italian turkey sausage to the filling.
- If you don’t want to roll and stuff the eggplant, you could lay the slices flat and layer them with the cheese mixture for a low-carb lasagna.
More Eggplant Recipes:
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Eggplant Meatballs
- Baked Eggplant Sticks
- Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan
- Cheesy Eggplant Gnocchi Caprese
How To Make Eggplant Rollatini
Ingredients
- 2 medium Italian eggplants, cut lengthwise into 10 (1/4-inch thick) slices (21 oz total when sliced)
- kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups quick marinara sauce
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
- 8 oz frozen spinach, heated through and squeezed well
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (Polly-O), 4 oz total
Instructions
- Cut the 2 ends off the eggplants. Cut the eggplants lengthwise, into 1/4-inch thick slices until you have a total of 10 slices about the same size. It's easiest to do this with a mandolin.
- Sprinkle the eggplant with kosher salt to help remove excess moisture and bitterness from the eggplants. Set aside for about 10 to 15 minutes. Pat dry with a towel.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Season the eggplant with a little more salt and pepper, then arrange on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover tightly with foil and bake until eggplant is tender and pliable but NOT fully cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg then mix together with ricotta, Pecorino Romano, spinach, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.
- Pat eggplant dry with paper towels. Dividing the ricotta-spinach mixture (about 2 generous tablespoons each) evenly and spoon onto one end of each eggplant slice, spreading to cover. Starting at the short end, roll up slices and arrange them each seam side down in the prepared dish. Top with remaining marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and tightly cover with foil.
- Bake until the eggplant is very tender, about 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving with additional Pecorino Romano if desired.
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This is so delicious, definitely a fan favorite!!
An amazingly good recipe under any circumstances, but all the more so since it is “healthy”. Mostly eggplant, spinach and tomato sauce – ricotta and other cheeses are minor players, yet the dish tastes incredibly rich! Definitely a winner! I’ve made it for company several times and always get rave reviews.
Love this recipe! I make it every two weeks. It tastes great, has a good amount of protein, fiber, and calcium. A nutritional power house! And satisfying while being low calorie. Thank you so much for this recipe!
This is a family favorite. Ymmy.
Wow! I added chicken sausage (removed from the links and sauteed) to the tomato sauce, but even without that, this recipe would have been amazing.
This was so so so yummy! I made it true to the recipe, including the quick marinara. Absolutely outstanding!
This recipe is delicious. It’s so light but filling. I don’t think it needs 60 minutes to cook however.
I made this tonight with the quick marinara and my FOUR YEAR OLD ATE IT! Willingly. Happily. It had two vegetables! She does not love her veggies. So basically, this recipe is a miracle. My husband and I both loved it too. Thank you!
Awesome!
Made this tonight. Absolutely yummy. I used Aldi Vodka sauce and it it was so all so satisfying.
I wish I’d found this yesterday! I had an eggplant that I really didn’t know what to do with since I’d never cooked one before. So I stuffed it like I would a zucchini. It was okay but the eggplant was really too tough to eat! Next time I get one in my produce box I’ll try this!
Do you know if this recipe would work with frozen chopped kale instead of spinach?
Sure
Prepped the night before as directed and refrigerated overnight. Absolutely delicious meal when I got home after working a 12 hour shift. I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow.
Thank you
This was delicious, and it was my first time cooking with eggplant. I’ve always been intimidated by preparing eggplant, but your instructions were easy to follow. Mine only needed about 45 minutes to be done well. I used Rao’s marinara, and it was like eating a delicious lasagna, but so much healthier!
I made this tonight and was very pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. My two grandkids loved it and asked for more! I will be making again, next time I will double the recipe. Thanks again, Gina!
First of all, really glad I found you’re site. I still consider myself a novice with cooking and this is a great website to showcase easy new techniques and cook healthy flavorful meals. I made this tonight and it is absolutely delicious! I didn’t change a thing and followed you step by step!
Delicious eggplant recipe without the frying and oil. Follow the directions closely when slicing the eggplant thin and salting the eggplant. Be sure to soak up the moisture and salt after the eggplant sweats. I baked it less than the recommended amount of time;. 45 minutes was enough. Will definitely make this again!
Wonderful recipe! Only change I made was using a grated Zucchini (sneezed in paper towel). Served over fresh spinach- it wilted wonderfully and it was all amazing. Used convection oven and the cook time was only 35 minutes.
Would use again most definitely.
Omg! Squeezed in paper towel!! Also- two people who are not huge fans of eggplant really enjoyed the dinner.
Is it best do cook this first, then freeze? Or prep it and then freeze, to cook later? Which way turns out best? I have loads of eggplant and want to make this recipe. I also cook for people and wondering about how this turns out best.
thanks.
This was so easy and so delicious. So much better than fried eggplant parm. This is now in my rotation. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
BEST 227 calories I have consumed in a long time – SERIOUSLY DELICIOUS!
I couldn’t find frozen spinach – microwaved a 5 oz box of fresh spinach with a drop of coconut oil it worked perfectly!
Good luck sticking with the two rollatini …HA!! Worth every bite!
I made this recipe exactly as written. My whole family loved it. Even my teenagers who, before this dish, declared their dislike for eggplant. Thank you!
Fabulous taste, easy recipe but allow time to prep eggplant.
Delicious and totally worth the effort! I don’t have a mandolin, but my somewhat non-uniform eggplant slices didn’t seem to affect the final result. I mixed 1/2 lb cooked Italian sausage into the filling, which added about 50 cals per piece but also added a nice extra flavor. I’ll definitely be adding this to the regular rotation!
Yummy recipe, but have a question. How much mozzarella cheese are we supposed to use? I am confused by this: 1 cup 4 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella (Polly-O). Is it 1 cup and 4 oz? Is that the same as 1.5 cups? Thanks!
This came out amazing, I added some ground pork and mashed up artichokes that were in oil, to keep it keto. I omitted the spinach, but this came out like a creamy lasagna. The egg plant seemed to turn into somewhat of a “pasta shell” and held together very good. I think it would be just as delicious layered as a lasagna!
Made these tonight and they turned out amazing – thank you!! I added a bit of chopped walnuts to the cheese mixture to add some more texture. Will be adding these to my rotation!
Delicious however it is not 5 smart points per serving it is 8 smart points per serving when I plug in your nutritional information. Please advise. I hope this isn’t a common occurrence as I just happened to check with my ww calculator bc I ate 2 serving I ate 16 points instead of 10! Not happy !!
Hi Monique. The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”) which does not count fruits and vegetables in recipes in the calculations as they are now 0 points.
The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting the fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, now you know why.
I just made this with tomatoes and eggplant gifted from my neighbor.
I juiced the tomatoes first (nothing like fresh ‘mater juice) and used the left over “meat” for my sauce. Of course, I made a dish for them as well. And, wouldn’t ya know it, I forgot to bake the eggplant before rolling, but I used a mandolin and made such thin slices it didn’t matter and cooked up great!
Can’t wait to make this again.
I forgot to put foil over the eggplant when I first baked it. Will this make the eggplant rubbery?
I made this as part of my Christmas meal and it was wonderful. I really enjoyed it. I added chopped artichokes to the ricotta and spinach. I will definitely make again.
How does this recipe have only 5 reviews…definitely my all time favorite Skinny Taste recipe. To be honest, eggplant really isn’t my favorite vegetable but I absolutely love it in this recipe. The prep does take a few extra minutes but since I get 3-4 meals out this recipe I don’t mind. I make it exactly as listed but I do do add Italian sausage to the mixture and I also tend to make more than 10 rolls. (About 12-14). Great recipe for guests. Add a salad and Garlic bread and your guests will think they are at an Italian restaurant.
p.s . I made this recipe to encourage/induce my labor (old wives tale) Well it worked. 48 hours my little girl made her appearance 6 days early.
Had one eggplant from the farm share to use up, and didn’t want the usual Parmesan. Made a half recipe of this, using what I had—cottage cheese for the ricotta, kale for the spinach and jarred spaghetti sauce. It was really good and hearty–kept thinking there must be meat or pasta in there somewhere, lol!
Can you use fresh spinach?
I have the same question. I would like to use fresh spinach. If I sauté it in olive oil with garlic would it be too moist?
coukd you tell me what in this would’nt make it keto please
Technically pasta/ tomato sauce has sugar. Just check your label for a sauce that has 6 grams or less and it makes this doable.
My boyfriend and I made this recipe last weekend and it is great! We have been trying to eat low-carb so this was an excellent option. To add some protein we added an Italian sausage and ground beef mixture. Instead of rolling we just laid it out lasagna-style. It was very easy and tasted amazing (good thing, too because we’ll be eating it all week!)!
Excellent recipe! The eggplant was tender and flavorful. I did add a few additional Italian herbs to the ricotta mixture to kick the flavor up a notch. My eggplant required a bit longer than stated in the first step to be soft enough to roll. I did not have an issue with my slices falling apart.
My husband is very finicky… Meat and potatoes kind of guy. If he has any idea this has Eggplant in it, he will refuse to even try it. Has anyone tried making it more lasagna style by layering? Will it make a difference? Anything I suspect he will refuse, I try to not tell him what’s in it if I can get away with it and it’s amazing how much he ends up liking it…. As long as he doesn’t know. Lol!
This was so good! I *might* have used a bit more mozzarella on the top because we like a nice lightly toasted mozzarella crust on the top. I swear I will never be able to eat eggplant in a restaurant again!
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This was SO delicious!!!! I will definitely be making it again soon.
these were so good & easy to make. I would definitely get a mandolin so I can make them more often.
I followed the recipe exactly, except I was short on time. I layered it like lasagna! I used a little extra sauce to make it work, but it was so very tasty. Thank you for yet another great recipe!
This is the BEST recipe! I now make this every single time I have dinner guests and it’s always a favourite. It’s so much lighter than a pasta but equally as good. Thank you!
This is definitely a keeper! It was delicious! I added mushrooms with the spinach mix. I think the mandolin would be smart since it was har to get consistent slices.
Great restaurant style dish!!!
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Amazing!!!
This is my go-to recipe and I love it. Thank you. I would like to make this for a group of 8 people, but I’m not sure everyone will love it the way that I do. Does anyone have a suggestion of what to make to compliment it for those that are meat eaters or do not like eggplant?
Sure, I think a casserole like https://www.skinnytaste.com/sicilian-rice-ball-casserole/ would be great to add.
What about baby back ribs from chowhound? I’ve only made the ribs, I used Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce.
https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/easy-bbq-baby-back-pork-ribs-30741
ALso, a side of any pasta would work. My rollantini is different (breaded) but I used to make it wth angel hair nests and I served with marinara sauce or canned rattatouile in the middle, Easy and pretty.
Made this tonight and I thought it was great. Although my husband didn’t enjoy so much. But after I discussed with him about it being healthier then the traditional eggplant rollitini … fried and with all cheese ….
he understood and said it wasn’t so bad.
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I made this tonight and loved it. Baked it for about 25 minutes. Sharing the leftover s with my coworker tomorrow.
This is an awesome recipe! Rather than use frozen spinach, I sauteed fresh in olive oil and garlic, but everything else I did the same. Re-heats very nicely in the microwave, so it’s perfect for lunch.
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My husband would only eat eggplant fried until I made this dish. All ingredients with the exception of the dairy, came from my garden….This will be a staple every growing season. Thank you
That’s awesome! Fresh from the garden is the best!
OMG my family loved these, quoted from the kids “This is a definite keeper”
Great!
You were 100% spot on. Unless fried I have not been a big fan of eggplant. You have made me a believer yum! Thank you wonderful recipe
I love eggplant dishes. I’ve been looking for a healthier version of moussaka, as it’s my favorite. Any chance you have one?!
REALLY good–I used the quick marinara sauce from this site and it was great too. I subbed fat free cottage cheese for the ricotta, to save on calories and also I just like it better. I did have to double the amount of cottage cheese and still felt like I had to ration the filling to get all the eggplant strips filled. I did have a bit more than 10 slices, though, so maybe that is why. However, this recipe is a keeper! I served this alongside the Corn, tomato, and zucchini pasta also on this website, and together I got a really nice dinner for 7.
YOU ARE MY HERO!! I made this last night (sliced eggplant to thin but still workable) AND GURRRLLL WINNER WINNER EGGPLANT DINNER…….I had some of the spinach mix left over so i spread on the top of these lil gems then covered with the gravy……i even sliced up extra, froze them for later go to meals!!!
Great!
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Delicious. A bit hit here!
Excellent! My husband enjoyed and even had seconds. I made the whole recipe and we have leftovers for another scrumptious meal.
Great!
I just bought a heavy duty OXO mandoline slicer and can’t wait to use it for this. I love eggplant but always get frustrated feeling like I waste so much of it. I never thought about using a mandoline. Thanks for that suggestion to make prep time faster!
DELICIOUS!!!! My picky husband loved them and even raved about them to his mom!!!
Thank you for the awesome recipes !
Awesome!
Have this in the oven now. I followed the directions exactly and found the slices of eggplant that had more seeds (in the center of each piece) didn’t stay together (the middle broke apart) after the first cooking in the oven. I had enough to piece them together with another slice. They might not be as pretty as these pictures, but I’m sure it will all taste fabulous when they are cooked, just an FYI for everyone. Love your recipes!
Thanks Maria!
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Excellent. I rinsed my eggplant after the sweat from salting and prior to putting in the oven. I added 1 sliced mushroom to each slice of eggplant prior to rolling. Also, I found some Chinese eggplant at a Farmer’s Market which really are only slimmer and longer than regular eggplant ( they were the shape of medium zucchini). I will definitely add this to my recipe list. Better than eggplant parmesan and healthier too.
Can you peel the eggplant?
First let me say I love receiving your emails and recipes! I tried this recipe with some ingredient modifications. I didn’t have spinach or ricotta but had some frozen collard greens and cottage cheese. Loved how it turned out. I can’t wait to try the eggplant meatballs. Thank you for sharing!
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I can enjoy eggplant again! I always felt guilty because of the frying,, I made this recipe yesterday and we absolutely loved it. I put the. Arinara sauce together in the morning, prepped the filling and baked the eggplant and set it all aside till after work. Assembled the rolatinis and left it to bake for an hour and it looked just like yours in the video! This will be great for company as a make ahead, thanks Gina!
I followed you recipe exactly it was delicious! Thank you!
Made yesterday but have not ate yet–a lot of work and does not make enough filling for 2 tbs for each piece of eggplant-only used a scant tbs for each and had to add more ricotta cheese to stretch to fill rest of eggplant slices????
Interesting, not only did I make this several times I also shot a video and it worked out fine
Great recipe, but…I had to double the spinach filling for two medium eggplants. I used my mandolin to slice eggplant into 1/4 inch slices, and put suggested 2 Tbsp. filling in each roll up. . I am glad that I had the extra ingredients on hand.
Cooked this tonight and yes was delicious thanks so much Gina, love your recipes from us here in Queensland Australia .
????
Hi Gina — I am researching recipes to freeze for after our baby is born. Any suggestions for freezing this favorite of ours? It will be my first time doing so!
Liz
I think this would freeze well before baking.
Thank you for your reply! Do you think we should bake at the same temperature/time after freezing?
350 🙂
I’m converted! Never knew eggplant could taste so good without being breaded and fried!!
Lol!
Thank you for this recipe! It turned out delicious. I cut it in half and made some changes based on my nutrition needs/kitchen stock. I used low fat cottage cheese, feta, egg white and added chopped chicken along with a little onion. It was the perfect way to use my garden’s first eggplant! Great texture. For anyone wanting to half the recipe, the amount fits perfectly into a rectangle bread loaf pan.
Just wanted a clarification: The serving size says 2 rollups, but the picture has 3. Are the points given for 2 rollups or for 3? Thanks!
Gina–Thank you for this recipe. It looks amazing and I’ll surely try it. FYI: I ordered the Oxo mandoline from Amazon, and it was awful. As always, Amazon took it back. I re-ordered instead the mandoline by HomeNative. It’s perfect. It does a great job, came with five interchangeable blades, a food catcher/storage container with lid and a very necessary safety glove. I couldn’t be happier. Did I mention it was $20 cheaper than the Oxo?
I made this and in the oven right now. Had no problems except ran out if filling mixture . I was meticulous about measuring the ingredients. Use two level tablespoons and was short of mixture. Should the recipe have read two teaspoons instead of tablesponns.
Can this meal be frozen for leftovers?
Made tonight and both my husband and I loved!!! Perfect when I can make something healthy – not tell my husband it’s “diet” and he loves it… secret with your recipes is never telling the hubby they are healthy!!
If I prep this today, should I stick it in the fridge or freezer? If I bake it on a Thursday, is that too far away? Thanks! I’m house sitting this weekend, so I’m trying to plan my meals!
It might be ok if the cheese is fresh
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Hello. Can I make this ahead up to step 6 and refrigerate then bake it off the next day? Was hoping to take this for Easter dinner. Thanks in advance!
Sorry for the late response but yes you can!
Can someone please clarify if the Italian Eggplants are the regular bit eggplants or the smaller ones? I’m getting mixed information at every store I check.
The big purpleones!
Can you cook and freeze this recipe for lateR?
I tried this tonight and it was a hit! I simplified it quite a bit. I used canned tomato sauce (homemade marinara was a little ambitious for me), left out the egg and other seasonings, especially the salt (I used garlic powder). I read the comments about the eggplant falling apart. So, I baked each slice at 400 for 3 mins per side. Just enough to start cooking, and turn tender, but not mushy or crumbly. But, the recommended 2 tablespoons of stuffing didnt add up. I used one tbsp per roll, and found that when i got to halfway through, there wouldnt be enough (queue the unroll and start over!). I don’t have a mandoline, so I cut by knife. I hacked the first one, so I chopped it up and used it in the stuffing, which made it go farther. I ended up with 15 (again, cut by hand, so no magic equal number). I baked at 400 for 55 mins, removed from oven, topped with mozzarella, and put the foil back over top for another 5 (didn’t put back in oven). Ate 4 rolls at 56 cals/each, totaling an astonishing 224 cals!!! Definitely an amazing amount of food for such a teeny calorie count. Adding this one to the recipe book!
What is the temperature to cook the dish once it together ?
This is my absolute favorite recipe! I use a frozen kale, spinach, and chard blend from whole foods ans sub fat free cottage cheese for the ricotta since I typically have that on hand. Perfection! Thanks so much for introducing me to such deliciousness!
You’re welcome! 🙂
This was absolutely amazing and better than any eggplant dish I’ve ever had. I made it for my husband’s parents who have never eaten eggplant before and they both loved it. We traveled to their home for diner so I prepped it all the way up to the final baking at home, then popped it into their oven when we got there. It turned out great. Served it with speghetti.
I am just wondering. The recipe is posted as freezer friendly, but I do not see directions how to freeze it?
Was wondering the same thing myself.
I’m thinking make up to step 7, then freeze, then step 7 after thawed?
Made this tonight. Great dish! Family enjoyed it.
I have one who will NOT eat eggplant at all!! Any suggestions?
Zucchini?
Do you think the eggplant would hold up ok if this dish was covered and refrigerated just prior to the final baking and saved for later…or even the next day?
It’s in the oven right now but I took a look at it and it seems to have lots of water in it. Not sure if I should remove the foil?
Made this for the first time last week, and I’m making it again tonight! My family LOVES this!! I’ll probably leave the salt out of the spinach mixture because it was a bit on the salty side, but it was still fantastic!
I just made this and it is absolutely amazing. My husband, who is my worse critic, ate it all up. Just to be fair, I am his worse critic too…:) Instead of the ricotta cheese, I used plain Greek yogurt and it was fantastic. Thank you for this recipe! I am going to be trying some other ones soon. Thanks again!
I made this as written and it is absolutely fabulous! Except I cheated and used Francesco Rinaldi Marinara Sauce which is yummy!
Hi! Does this make good leftovers? I would like to make it for the week for lunches. Thanks!
Fabulous for leftovers. Tastes as good as the first day if not better.
Great! Thanks so much!
Thank for an amazing recipe. I do wonder how you came up with the smart points. I put all the ingredients into the calculator and came up with 5 SP per serving. Please let me know as 3 SP's gives me an extra piece 🙂
Made this with kale tonight – awesome!!
My husband loves this recipe!
I made this recently and it is most definitely going to be a staple…Love Love Love it!!
I made this recently and it is most definitely going to be a staple…Love Love Love it!!
My husband and I are food people. We love eating, we love cooking, we love feeding people.
I just finished eating this dish that I prepare today and it was SPECTACULAR.
Worth the steps.
This was delicious. My eggplant was too wide for my mandoline so I had to cut them in half, lengthwise, and ended up with twice as many, but much narrower, slices. Since the slices were so thin, I skipped the pre-baking step and after salting/toweling off the eggplant slices, I microwaved them for 3 minutes, then continued with the recipe. My rollatini were much smaller, so I only baked the dish for 35 minutes. A+ recipe. I'll definitely make this again – soon!
Loved this recipe!! How do you recommend reheating the leftovers?
I made this today and my entire family loved it. This ia alsi my first time making anything out of eggplant. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
This recipe was a complete flop !! I followed the directions to a tee. After taking the egg plant out of the oven at 8 minutes it completely fell apart & went into the trash. Vac sealed the cheese & spinach mixture to freeze it for a later recipe. Maybe my oven setting is off ? I've never had a problem with it before though.
I had the SAME EXACT PROBLEM! We followed the directions 100% so I have no idea why, but I'm pretty bummed, given the work put into it. I managed to assemble about 1/2 of them but man, what a waste. On a side note, I made these two weeks ago with zucchini and they came out amazing!!! It just made a lot more and we had about 4 per serving.
ooo! so glad to hear! I really do not like eggplant and wondered if zuchinni would work. thanks!
Do you think if we premade these – 2 batches one for the evening dinner … that we could freeze the other and still retain the flavors and textures of the original dish? Do you think freeze before baking? Or After baked and cooled?
did you ever try this. I was wondering if I could freeze too!!
I've made this recipe a couple of times and loved it each time. Tonight I went vegan with it, skipped the egg, used cashew ricotta cheese and go veggie mozzarella. It was deliriously amazing! Thanks Gina for your creative spirit and kitchen know how!
Cooked tonight. This was delicious! Nice alternative to frying eggplant.
I made these last week and they were SO good!! Thank you!!
Hi making this today for my party, question, can i bake and than, reheat later tonight.
This dish is delicious, but it has way too much salt. I ate the leftovers for a couple of days and each day it was saltier and saltier to the point it was inedible. I would suggest rinsing the eggplant after salting and not salting it again before it goes in the oven. Then omit the salt from the cheese mixture as the cheeses already have salt.
Did u use Kosher salt or table salt??…Ginas uses kosher Salt for all her recipes.. there is a huge difference between the 2
Just made this and OMGsh, its better than Eggplant Parmesan!
I have made this 3 or 4 times now with roasted spaghetti squash and it is AMAZING every time. Great recipe!
This looks great…Not sure if this has been mentioned, but this is not Vegetarian Friendly due to the cheese. You will need to use another type of cheese. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecorino_Romano
This is vegetarian friendly, but not vegan friendly. Vegetarians eat cheese and dairy, vegans do not.
Hi Laura,
The comment before yours is right…
Unless most cheeses, Pecorino is made with Rennet, which is not a vegetarian ingredient.
Rennet is removed from the stomach of animals, in the case of Pecorino, the source is the lamb stomach.
It is vegetarian friendly. It’s not VEGAN friendly.
My garden is overflowing with eggplant and I was looking for something different to do with it when all of a sudden this popped up! OMG – looks delish! It's in the oven right now, super easy to make, can't wait to taste it, me and my husband are drooling right now! Thanks 🙂
Thank you for this recipe – it was sublime – my kind of food. I used full creamed cheese instead of ricotta & caramelised 2 onions & added that to the swiss chard mixture with lots of white pepper. Probably one of the best dishes i have made this year & would be a stunning offering for my friends! Thanks again – i recently found your site & you make my kind of food x
I just made this with no egg, fat free ricotta and mozzarella cheese AND added spinach (fresh), mushroom, and onions. Instead of marinara I used spaghetti sauce. IT CAME OUT AMAZING!
Did you cook the fresh spinach before adding it to the ricotta mixture?
Thanks!
Do you think that the marinated and grilled eggplant slices from Trader Joe's would work in this recipe?
The absolute BEST eggplant recipe I ever tasted. I actually put it in the crock pot on low for 4 hrs to cook and came out perfect. Gave some to my mom who then ask if she could take some home with her for dinner that night. I give this 5 stars!!
I get every second Friday off from work and have been making your amazing recipes for the last couple of Friday's I've had off. So far, I've done the pulled pork, and now this tonight. SO AMAZING! My wife doesn't even like eggplant but she LOVED this! THANK YOU!
I rarely provide feedback, but this is one of the best recipes ever. Having it again tonight…thank you.
I made this after looking at a few similar recipes. I must have missed the roasting part because I just sliced the eggplant, sweated it for a bit then rolled them up with the ricotta/parmesan/spinach, topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella then baked for 30 minutes. It was awesome! This is my new lasagna-substitute!
Excellent! Thanks for your great recipes!!
Excellent recipe. Much better than another recipe I have been using. I had to substitute some homemade roasted red pepper sauce for the marinara because I was making them for a family member who can't eat tomatoes. It was really delicious.
Any suggestions for a substitute for the ricotta and percorino romano? Thanks!
Would it be possible to do these recipe in crock pot?
Do you think that the marinated and grilled eggplant slices from Trader Joe's would work in this recipe?
Great recipe. Forgot to buy ricotta so I used 4oz. lowfat cream cheese mixed with 1/3 cup 0 fat greek yogurt. Had extra filling so used 16 slices of eggplant, and steamed fresh spinach and now have leftovers. Yum! We really like regular eggplant parmesan but this one was much lighter and not greasy! Bought a mandolin to slice the eggplant and they were all uniform slices.
So Delicious! new to your site but am really liking what I've seen.
thank you.
This was delicious!! I didn't have ricotta so I used reduced fat cottage cheese. Came out fantastic. Husband loved it too!!
I just made this but haven't baked it yet. I mis-read the recipe and ended up with 20 little rolls instead of 10, so I will bake it for less time. As I was assembling, I was getting really frustrated because I KNEW 2 TBS of filling would not fill 20 rolls. Of course not when the recipe only calls for 10!! My eggplants were also short and stuby so I had very short slices. I plan to bake tomorrow and can't wait to taste them!!
This is not print friendly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was amazing! If I wanted to layer the eggplant instead of roll it, could I skip the pre-baking step and just bake the whole casserole longer?
I didn't pre-bake the rollatini's and had left over eggplant which I also layered in a casserole but also didn't pre-bake and it was delicious!
OMG, so very good. I have made something like this before but your recipe is so much better! Love that I still have eggplant growing in my garden so that I can make this again!!
Stephanie, put the eggplant on parchment paper and it won't stick. I made the same mistake, too. 🙂
Gina, thank you for this recipe. I've made it twice in the last week. It is well worth the time it takes to make. Also, thank you for this website. Yummy!
Made this last night- it was delicious! Highly recommend it!
I made this and it tasted amazing! However, after I baked the eggplant before rolling them, the eggplant fell apart (the middle stuck to the foil). Am I just baking the eggplant too long? Thanks!
So good! Loved it! And I think it is definitely a recipe to win over those who do not like eggplant.
I don't like eggplant, but figured I'd take a chance anyway… Oh my god, this was out-of-this-world! I could have happily gobbled down the entire baking dish. Now seriously wondering if I could have this for breakfast tomorrow morning. And for lunch. And maybe dinner. 🙂
made this as the recipe directed and loved it!!! i'm thinking about doing this as a lasagna/pie. do you think this will work out well with the same ingredients/timing if i doubled the recipe?
I made this and it was fantastic. Even my husband who is not a fan of eggplant loved it!
How do you convert fresh spinach to frozen in recipes? I have a huge thing of fresh baby spinach I would like to use instead but no idea how it works out. Do you steam the fresh and let it wilt or what..?
Jen, we made this to bring to a pot luck party last night. Huge hit! I'm not vegetarian but I always bring a vegetarian dish because our vegetarian pals always seems to get left out. At least ten people asked me for the recipe and nobody noticed that there was no breading on the eggplant. I sent them right to your website. Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes. You helped me lose 35 pounds!
I made this last night and it was delicious – even shared with a few neighbors and they loved it too. I followed the recipe exactly. At first, I wasn't sure if there would be enough filling but it was perfect. Another skinnytaste success!
Making this today. What is the purpose of the parchment paper, and can I use something else instead? Thank you.
I made this last night, it was absolutely delicious!! Can't wait to make it again!! Thank you for all your amazing recipes Gina, you really have made my WW journey super easy!
Another winner, the rollatinis' were like butter…
Hi Gina!
I'm less of a fan of dairy and more of a fan of lean protein, so I can't wait to try this but to add ground turkey to the ricotta.
Has anyone tried leaving the melted cheese on top out of this recipe??? Any suggestions on a cheese substitute?… 🙂
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Kinda of rude to push your website and blog on another site… Just saying
I substituted pressed firm tofu for the ricotta and it was delicious. Used dairy free cheese for the mozerella
Thanks for that idea. I don't digest dairy very well and really wan to try this one!
just put mine in the oven! so excited for the final result! I use skinnytaste at least 3x a week for recipes! can't wait for the cookbook
My parents are on the Weight Watchers program right now, and I've always loved to meddle with recipes, and I just have to say.. This recipe was fabulous! We're also Italian, so when it comes to cheesy delicious dinners, we consider ourselves pros. Everyone loved this! Thank you!
This was so fabulous!!! Tasted so rich and decadent. I must say I skipped buying the XOXO mandolin until I tried this recipe, but will definitely pick one up next time I'm in Target for easier, more even slices of eggplant. This website has helped me so much with my weight loss plan…thanks, Gina!
just made this last night, turned out superb. i added mushrooms, used fresh spinach and doubled the recipe. i also baked it uncovered and without the mozzarella and then added the mozzarella immediately after removing it from the oven. turned out great, no drowning in liquid…. just kept an eye on it. but gina, this recipe was delicious, scrumptious and delightful. thanks for a fabulous resource for busy moms.
Incredibly good. I sliced my eggplant a little too thin – almost disappeared. Used Trader Joe's salt free marinara and some Egg Beaters to meet other dietary issues. Perfect.
I really want to like eggplant, but it's always been mushy whenever I've had it. Maybe I'll try this one. Does the eggplant stay firm or get all soft? The picture is just so beautiful that it must taste good.
Just made this and it was amazing! Thanks Gina! Also, thank you so much for the mandoline recommendation…I love it!
If I wanted to add ground turkey or sausage to this recipe, where would I add that step? I'm assuming I could brown it and add it to the spinach mixture?
I made this last night and had 2 med large eggplants. I followed the recipe to the T and had about a 1/2 of an eggplant left over to use in another recipe this week, and I still had enough to make 12 delicious rollatinis. My husband devoured them, and kept raving. Thank you very much for the recipe!
Made it this morning. Wonderful. Even for breakfast!
I made this recipe over the weekend and it is delicious! I used fresh spinach, but steamed it first. It was very easy to put together and the taste is really great! I am eating portions for lunch this week and I keep having to remember that there was nothing fried or breaded in this — it just tastes so good!
Do you bake the finished product at 400 degrees? I'm excited to try it tonight!
This was sooooo great. I made it for dinner last night. My daughter loved this too. Thank you for getting me out of the routine of making the same things week to week. Love this site!
This was really delish. I made it for dinner on Saturday and am having leftovers for lunch today. Since finding your blog I have found that I am eating less meat, more veggies and feel awesome. Thanks for the great (simple) recipes!
yum!
http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com
This looks delicious!!! Love going through your blog. Question- I am not too big a fan of ricotta cheese- do you have any suggestions for substitutions or do you think this needs ricotta?
These were delicious! Thank you for your great recipes keep them coming.
I made this tonight and it was a big hit! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes and helping me keep my family eating healthy!
I am going to give this a try and I am going to freeze part and use the slow cooker on another night. Have you tried this in the slow cooker?
Made this or my family this evening and it was a hit! The only change I made was instead of par baking the eggplant I grilled it lightly on my stovetop grill. I found that it gave the dish a subtle smokiness which was very nice. Thanks for the recipe, Gina. You were toasted with a nice Montepulciano during the preparations 😉
Wow, this looks amazing. We are always looking for more eggplant ideas and meatless monday Ideas. Perhaps we will try this monday. Would you mind linking this with my new series: Grow it! Cook it! Eat it! Live it!
Liveintheyard.blogspot.com
@anonymous 4:13 – I baked them at 400 for an hour (covered w/foil per recipe) and they were PERFECT! Ridiculously delicious, and I'm not a huge eggplant fan.
aren't they good!!!
Correct me if I am wrong please. Do you bake the the egg plant rolls still at 400 degrees for one hour? That seems an awfully high temperature for that long.
Yes, that is correct.
This was the best and It will be a weekly fav. I love eggplant and you almost dont taste it super moist. I put the foil over while you are waiting for moisture to come through and it cut the time in half adding the salt worked well to. I also tried the three ingredient oatmeal banana choco chips and I ate them all myself over a day and a half and they held up well.
This was the best and It will be a weekly fav. I love eggplant and you almost dont taste it super moist. I put the foil over while you are waiting for moisture to come through and it cut the time in half adding the salt worked well to. I also tried the three ingredient oatmeal banana choco chips and I ate them all myself over a day and a half and they held up well.
It was too salty!!
perhaps you added too much salt
Rinsing the eggplant before baking can help that too…
Gina, I have made a version of this for years and it is yummy. But your recipe "remake" looks fabulous and SO much healthier. I am making this for sure!! Thanks again for all you do for us!
My pleasure!
I was going to try cottage cheese.
Can you replace the ricotta with something else? I keep trying it but I really just don't like it 🙁
you hardly taste it, it's mostly spinach
I'm not much of a fan of ricotta either but using that egg really helps with the texture (which is what I really don't like) and you can't really taste it. this is how I do my lasagna too. Give it a try!
I used a low fat cottage cheese and everyone loved it:)
Looks delicious! Can't believe something that looks so tasty can also be good for you. Wonderful use of eggplant! Thanks for sharing.
I love that you used eggplant for this! We don't nearly get to eat it as often as we would like so this here is just perfect!
sipping wine and listening to music while cooking? you are my soul sister!
My favorite time to cook is when I'm not rushed (music and wine helps too) 🙂
Have never tried eggplant…have had a "visual" aversion to it since seeing a "Streets of San Francisco" episode back I the late 70's / early 80's…I know "DUMB". This looks delish…will work up the courage to try.
Have I told you how much I love you? This is my favorite, all time Italian dishes. Thank you for making a skinny version! You…you complete me. 😀
Aww, enjoy!!!!
Anything in a casserole dish, and I'm on board! This looks beautiful and tasty.
Do you think you could put this together ahead of time and bake later in the day? Or could you make a day ahead of time and reheat the next day?
Yes, you can do either!
Do you think you could swap zucchini for the eggplant?
try it!
Gina,
I am so excited to try this. Big eggplant fan myself, but not the husband. I keep trying to find a recipe that he will like. This may be the one. Since he doesn't always appreciate your wonderful eggplant recipes, (love the baked eggplant parm boats), I do have to freeze portions. I have yet to find one of your recipes that haven't froze well. Some better than others but the taste is always there. As a matter of fact, I always keep the buttermilk mashed and the garlic mashed potatoes in servings of two vacuum sealed in the freezer. Portioned, healthy, and tasty in a second! We had some last night with chicken and salad. Thanks Gina, you make my life easier and tastier!!
I think he will love this one, you almost don't taste the eggplant!
I made it Sunday, I give up. He wouldn't even try it! 🙁 Oh well more for me. It was delicious. I ended up just pulling some fresh spinach out of my container of spring salad, chopped a little and threw it in raw to the ricotta mixture. I had about a half pound of 93% beef left from my Salisbury steaks I made up, so I threw a little in to the sauce in the casserole pan. It was just too good. I have a serving saved for lunch today and the rest I froze.
Today I wanted to cook eggplant for sure but I wasn't sure how (either small pizza, moussaka or eggplant tortino) but now I decided…definetly Rollatini! Perfectly timed post for me 🙂 Thanks Gina
I made your skinny chicken rollantini but now i have to make this. do you beleive i never cooked with eggplant before (embarassed) haha i have to try it! thanks!!!! p.s. the chicken rollantini was great!
This is perfect!
Yum, this looks so delicious. I wish this would be waiting for me this evening when I come home. Great pictures!
Sofie x
http://littlegreensofie.blogspot.be/
This looks great! I have to make it, though I may have difficulty cutting aubergines so thin:)
Ah! I didn't realize the correct term for this was "rollatini"! Learn something new everyday!
Wish this was on the menu tonite. I'll go vegan with EnerG Egg Replacer and Daiya cheeses for substitutes.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I omitted the spinach (because I'm not a huge fan) and it was still melt in your mouth! Thanks for all of your great recipes!
I am allergic to eggplant. Will zucchini work with this recipe?
I don't think so as zucchini are a little bit fragile and won't roll properly. Maybe you can steam them a little bit before rolling. This will make them more flexi I guess 🙂
Actually I think it would work, I was meaning to try that myself!
I used it, I grilled it for 3-4 minutes to make it pliable. Yummy
I believe zuchini would work since last night i was on a skinny taste roll and tried her zuchini lasagna recipe
I bought that exact Mandolin at Bed Bath and Beyond. I want take this!
Italian comfort food at its best! This looks so delicious, Gina!
Pampered Chef makes a great mandoline, and also something called the Simple Slicer that's not as complex and cheaper. I'm a consultant if anyone is looking. 🙂 Love my simple slicer – can't wait to try it on this recipe!
Have you tried freezing it?
I think it will freeze fine once cooked.
Looks sooooo good. I must invest in a mandolin now. I notice you posted a link for the mandolin on another recipe. OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer on Amazon
Yes, I just added the link above.
You must be a mind reader…. I WAS going to make the eggplant parmesean for dinner tonight, but when I opened your site for the recipe, this one popped up and sounded PERFECT! I can't wait to try it 🙂
You'll love it!!
genius idea!~
Another WINNER RECIPE Gina!!!
where oh where did you get your MANDOLIN?
thanks
Diane
Amazon, I will add the link above so you can see it.
thanks…
Diane
OMG! I love eggplant and am off to the store for the ingredients. Thank you, sue
Enjoy!
I love eggplant rollatini but rarely order it or made it because of how heavy it is. I really love how you lightened this dish up!
Absolutely delicious looking!
Looks like a delicious reason to invest in a mandolin!
Definitely have to try this. Love the spinach!
How did you heat the spinach?
I microwaved it, but you can simmer on the stove too (follow package directions)
Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Yes. Fresh spinach isn't available everywhere but if you have access to it, go for it!
Do you think you could leave out the egg? My daughter is allergic to eggs… This recipe looks scrumptious!
I think it would be fine