Eggplant Rollatini Stuffed with Spaghetti and Ricotta is my new favorite way to eat eggplant. This dish has all my favorites. I thinly slice eggplant and fry them in olive oil and then stuff them with spaghetti and a dollop of ricotta. Top with some more sauce, grated Pecorino and mozzarella and you are all set. Serve with some crusty bread and a good wine (I love Brunello with it), and you have an amazing meal for your family. This dish can me made ahead and cooked in the oven right before serving. Make sure your pasta is al dente always!!!!
Eggplant Rollatini Stuffed with Spaghetti and Ricotta
(Makes about 21 Pieces)
3 Garlic Cloves
2 (24.5 oz) containers of Passata
½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil- plus extra for frying
2 (8 Inch) long Eggplants Sliced into ¼ inch thin slice longways
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
10 Basil Leaves – Chopped
1 Cup Ricotta
8 oz. Low Moisture Mozzarella Shredded
2/3 cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
1 lb. Spaghetti
2 Oven Safe Dishes (I use Pyrex)
Fry the eggplant in olive oil until they are tender. Boil salted pasta water. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a pot heat ½ Cup of olive oil and add the garlic. Saute on a low flame until the garlic is tender. Add the chopped basil and sautee for 2 minutes. Add the passata, salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti until al dente.
Drain the spaghetti and put back in the pasta pot. To the pasta add 1 1/4 cups of the sauce, ⅓ cup of Pecorino and combine well.
Coat the bottom of your baking dishes with some sauce. On a flat surface, lay out a few pieces of the fried eggplant longways so that the eggplant is longer vertically not horizontally. Put some spaghetti in the middle of the piece of eggplant along with a dollop of ricotta(about a tsp. Of ricotta in each roll). Roll up the eggplant like a rollatini. The spaghetti will be sticking out of the edges of the rolled eggplant. Place open side down in the baking dish. Repeat this process for all the eggplant pieces. Top the rollatini with extra sauce, the remaining grated cheese and the shredded mozzarella. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes. The spaghetti should be a little crispy. Remove from the oven and serve.