Meaty eggplant rollatini

Meaty  Eggplant rollatini

You will fall in love with the flavors of this meaty eggplant rollatini, also known in Italy as involtini di melanzane.

This old school Italian meat filled eggplant recipe is still a family favorite and an ultimate comfort food.

There are as many variations of this stuffed eggplant recipe as there are people that make it. In this meat version roasted eggplant is stuffed with a delicious meat and spinach filling, rolled, and baked in marinara sauce with a topping of grated cheese.

variations for this Meaty eggplant rollatini recipe

One variation is you can replace the ground beef in this recipe with ground Italian sausage, or for a healthier version ground turkey or chicken.

Tips for all variations

  1. eggplant preparation: Slice the eggplant lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick salt and let sit weighted down for 30 minutes rinse and pat dry before  grilling  or baking until tender before filling.
  2. Assembly: Spread a thin layer of filling on each eggplant slice and roll tightly.
  3. Baking: cover with your marinara sauce and bake covered until bubbly and golden!!!
  4. Shop the picture White ceramic quiche dish
  5. Stainless steel oil can

Ingredients

  • 2  medium eggplants
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 cup thinly chopped spinach
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 cups marinara sauce

Instructions

  1.  wash and dry the eggplant  peel  in strips and cut horizontal into thin slices.
  2. Salt the thinly slice eggplant place in a colander and weigh down with  cans for at least thirty minutes. Then rinse and pat dry . roast the eggplant in a preheated 375- oven for 15 minutes,
  3. Make the filling in a bowl add the bread crumbs, milk, egg, parsley and the parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste and  mix well. let set for 10 minutes before adding the ground beef and mixing just until well combined.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons of the meat filling and roll jelly roll style. line a round quiche dish with 2 cups  of the marinara, then add the eggplant rolls, standing them up to create a pretty pattern. top with the remaining  marinara sauce sprinkle heavily with grated parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated 375- degree oven for 20 minutes or until the meat filling is cooked through, but not overcooked. ENJOY!!!