Fall in love with the flavors of this cheesy eggplant rollatini, also known in Italy as Involtini di Melanzane! No breading, no oils, just cooked eggplant stuffed with ricotta, parmesan cheese, and lots of fresh basil. Then baked to perfection with freshly grated cheese and rich tomato sauce – the most delicious meatless dinner the whole family will love.
Over the years, I have fallen in love with eggplant in my recipes, especially in Italian dishes. And today, I’m serving up one of my favorites!
If you’ve never had it before, eggplant rollatini is an Italian dish consisting of thinly sliced eggplant traditionally dusted with flour and then “rolled” up with ricotta cheese and an herb filling. The word rollatini in Italy is also known as “involtini,” it refers to food that can be eaten in small bites or rolled up with a filling.
This recipe is a little different than the traditional Italian method. Instead of coating the eggplant in flour and pan-frying before rolling up and baking, the eggplant slices are baked rather than fried without any breading or oils. The results are delicious and may surprise some who are used to traditional rollatini!
Get ready to serve this one up at your next family gathering. I’m certain it’ll be a hit!
Ingredients – What You Need
This meal requires only 8 ingredients and takes only a few simple steps. See the full list of ingredients below!
Eggplant: use two large eggplants or several smaller eggplants. Be sure they are wide enough to hold your filling when rolled up!
Ricotta cheese: a creamy cheese that is used for the filling that gets rolled up into the eggplant.
Marinara: we love using homemade marinara or Rao’s for store-bought!
Parmesan: freshly grated is recommended! This salty cheese is used in both the filling and on top of the rollatini for flavor.
Egg: to help bind the ricotta filling ingredients together.
Garlic cloves: fresh garlic is best to flavor the cheese filling, but you can also use garlic powder!
Basil: fresh basil is used in the ricotta filling, and it’s a must! I don’t recommend swapping for dried basil, the flavor will not be the same.
Mozzarella cheese: a fresh cheese that is creamy and mild in flavor. This cheese is for sprinkling over top of the rollatini for a melty top!
How to Make It – Step by Step
Preheat oven to 400F
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1
Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch thick pieces.
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2
Salt the eggplant on both sides with a small pinch of coarse salt. Let it “sweat” the excess moisture out for 10 minutes – then pat dry with paper towels and wipe off the remaining salt.
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3
Lay eggplant on a lightly greased pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
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4
In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, parmesan, egg, salt & pepper, minced garlic, and fresh basil.
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5
Then spoon 1-2 Tablespoons of the ricotta filling onto the bottom of the eggplant slice. Roll it up and repeat until the ricotta filling is finished.
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6
In a baking dish, spoon half the sauce onto the bottom and then place the eggplant rolls in the dish.
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7
Spoon the remaining sauce over the top of the dish.
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8
Then top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes uncovered. Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Tips for Success
Make sure the eggplant is sliced thin enough. If the eggplant is sliced too thick or unevenly, it will cause the rollatini to bake unevenly, leaving some pieces to be tougher and under-cooked. To ensure the eggplant is evenly cut and properly cooked, your best bet is to use a mandoline and slice each at 1/4 inch thickness.
Additional herbs you can use. What makes this recipe shine is using a ton of fresh basil! But that’s not the only herb you can use. This recipe also tastes wonderful with fresh oregano! And even fresh thyme or Italian parsley. If you’d like to add a little heat, you can also toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes to the herb filling too!
Our favorite tomato sauce to use. Choosing a quality tomato sauce for your rollatini matters because it’s a huge source of the dish’s flavor. If you want to use a store-bought tomato sauce, we recommend Raos! But if you want to make your own sauce, we love serving this with our San Marzano tomato sauce, or, our spicy arrabbiata tomato sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you salt the eggplant? Eggplant is known to have a high water content, so the excess moisture will need to be “sweated” from the eggplant using salt before assembling the dish. If this step is not taken, the water from the eggplant will pour into the whole dish while it bakes, making it a soupy mess, which we want to avoid!
How do you slice eggplant for rollatini? You can cut the eggplant two ways! One by hand with a chef’s knife, this is if you are experienced with a knife and can accurately make precise 1/4 inch cuts. The second way, which I recommend the most, is to use a mandoline slicer.
Do I need to peel the eggplant? Nope! Even though eggplant skin seems tough when it’s uncooked the skin becomes tender and adds so much flavor to this dish once it is cooked.
Is this recipe gluten-free? Yes, it’s naturally gluten-free because it doesn’t use flour or breadcrumbs to coat the eggplant.
How long do leftovers keep? Leftover rollatini should be kept in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days. Make sure leftovers are stored in an air-tight container to keep them fresh.
How to Freeze and Reheat
Reheating tips: preheat oven to 350F, place the rollatini in an oven-safe dish and cover with foil. Heat until warm (about 10-15 minutes).
Freezing tips: Prepare rollatini as directed, but don’t bake. Cover completely with plastic wrap first and then foil. Freeze for up to 1-2 months, then let thaw at room temperature and bake as the recipe instructs.
Serving Suggestions
Eggplant rollatini goes perfectly with pasta! We love to serve it with shells, radiatore pasta, or rigatoni. For greens, we recommend Italian-themed salads such as our Tuscan artichoke salad, or this Italian salad! And don’t forget crusty Italian bread for dipping into that cheesy sauce!
More Italian Eggplant Recipes
Love eggplant as much as I do? Then you may also be a fan of these delicious recipes as well.
- Classic Eggplant Parmesan
- 6 Ingredient Roasted Eggplant Pasta
- Roasted Eggplant Meatballs
- Eggplant lasagna
Eggplant Rollatini
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise (1/4-inch thick slices)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded plus additional parmesan for dusting over top of the dish
- 1 egg
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups marinara
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Slice and salt eggplant: First, remove the stems from the eggplant. Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Salt on both sides and let sit to "sweat" for 10 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel and wipe off remaining salt. Note: this process removes excess moisture from the eggplant and prevents a watery rollatini.
- Bake eggplant: Lay eggplant on a lightly greased pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Note: this softens the eggplant so you can easily roll it with the filling.
- Mix filling together: While eggplant is baking, add to a bowl: ricotta cheese, parmesan, egg, salt & pepper, minced garlic, and fresh basil. Mix together.
- Prepare rollatini: Then spread a layer of half the marinara on the bottom of your casserole or baking dish. After the eggplant has cooled spoon 1-2 Tablespoons of ricotta filling on the eggplant, then roll it up and lay the rollatini in the baking dish with sauce. Repeat until finished.
- Bake: Spoon the remainder of the marinara sauce over the rolled-up eggplant, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and a light dusting of parmesan cheese. Cover with foil or lid and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Made as written everyone loved it made it multiple times. Thank you
This is a great recipe … Even my 2 boys love this. Quick and easy to put together.
Thanks so much, Mike! So happy to hear your boys loved it too. 🙂
Just made this with home made arrabiatta sauce- wow!!! Delicious!
So happy to hear it, Randi! Arrabbiata sauce sounds like the perfect addition 🙂
Made this tonight for the first time on this stormy day! EXCELLENT!!!! I actually impressed myself! Thank you 👍💯🥰
Didn’t expect it to be wha
Didn’t expect this recipe to be bland
Making eggplant for many years this recipe should be made differently
.As an itialiann you know 🍆 needs a good amount of seasing and seasoned and slightly backed or fried before filling with the ricotta. Don’t over bread crumb the eggplant and use very good ricotta and mozzarella and granted cheese. This is a suggestion on how we make this recipe
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Hi Camille, did you find this recipe bland? I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ve not received that feedback before. I also think a quality, richly flavored marinara finishes off the seasoning perfectly. 🙂 Thanks so much for your suggestions!
This recipe was so good! Made with fresh eggplant from the garden and homemade marinara sauce with our own tomatoes.
Thank you so much, Lise! Thrilled to hear you enjoyed it:)
A hit with everyone—there were no leftovers at all! Husband, daughters and sister were all impressed and thankful to sit down to this delicious and nutritious dinner. Thank you!
So happy to hear it! Thank you so much, Katrina!
Can this dish be made ahead of time? I can’t wait to try it.
Hi Deb, yes it can! I just made it in advance the other day actually 🙂
I made a half batch of this with one eggplant and it was wonderful.
Thank you for the recipe.
I followed the recipe but found it too peppery. Wondering if 1/2 teaspoon is a misprint.
I want to make this flat, not rollatini. Should I change anything?
Hi Marly, this recipe is meant to be rolled up. If it’s not, you can layer it like a lasagna – like our eggplant lasagna.
Excellent dish. Easy to prepare. Taste is out of this world. Thank You