YUM! I was searching for eggplant recipes. Thank you All for posting!
Thought I'd add one of our most recent favorites, received from a friend.
Cheesy Eggplant Roll-Ups
Preheat oven to 450* F. Coat cooky sheet with about 1 T. of olive oil or you can use cooking spray.
Assemble ingredients:
1 lg. eggplant
olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
1/3 c. creamy, unseasoned goat cheese
3/4 t. dried Italian herb mixture (optional)
1 1/2 c. marinara sauce
1/2 c. shredded mozarella cheese
Skin the eggplant and cut off stem end. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into quarter-inch slices. Place on the cooky sheet, brush top surfaces of eggplant with olive oil and season with the salt & pepper. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, until done. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm and soft.
While eggplant is baking, combine the ricotta & goat cheese in a bowl. Stir in the dried herbs, if using.
Grease the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish with olive oil (or cooking spray) and spoon about half of the marinara sauce into the bottom, spreading gently to cover the bottom of the dish evenly.
Starting at the large end, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture onto about the quarter portion of the "bottom" of each eggplant slice. Roll up lengthwise, and place in the baking dish seam side down. Repeat until all eggplant slices have been used. Top all of the eggplant rolls with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with the grated mozarella. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
These rolls can be served alone, or the rolls can be served over pasta. Serves about 4 - 5, depending upon appetite.
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Update:29th of January
We tried a Middle-Eastern variation
We substituted:
Zataar for Italian seasoning and
sheep's milk feta for the goat cheese and
plain tomato sauce seasoned with about 1/2 t. zataar for the marinara. Yum!
It would also be really good with chunks of zucchini and onion in the tomato sauce too. We'll try that next time.
Recipe for homemade Zataar:
1 T Sumac powder
2 T. Powdered thyme
1/3 c. white Sesame seed
1 t. Dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 t. Kosher salt
Instructions for Homemade Zataar
In a small bowl, blend together sumac, thyme, sesame seed, and kosher salt . Can be stored tightly covered 2 to 3 months.
Note: Sumac is a piquant seasoning available at specialty stores such as Middle Eastern stores or Penzey's. You can also buy Zataar (spelled "Zatar" on Penzey's website) online at Penzey's.