Grilled Eggplant Rolled with Ricotta and Basil
For this simple and delicious appetizer, thin slices of eggplant are grilled and rolled with an herbed ricotta.
Did you know that eggplant is a berry?!?
I love learning little food facts like that.
Eggplant can be a little bit tricky sometimes. It can be epically delicious when it’s done right, but what else can you do besides the typical eggplant parmesan where you fry it up and pile on lots of cheese and sauce?
How about grill it and roll it up with a creamy ricotta basil filling? It’s a little healthier and you don’t miss out on any flavor.
Grilled Eggplant Rolled with Ricotta and Basil
For this simple and delicious appetizer, thin slices of eggplant are grilled and rolled with an herbed ricotta.
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano grated
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup chopped basil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Thinly slice the eggplant (down the length of the eggplant, so you get the longest pieces possible), and rub the pieces with salt. Place the eggplant in a colander and let it drain for one hour. This process is called purging and what we’re doing is letting the salt draw out any juices carrying super bitter flavor.
- While the eggplant drains, mix together the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, olive oil, parmigiano, red pepper flakes, and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper, and taste. Make desired seasoning adjustments.
- After the eggplant has been purged, rinse the slices well, then dry with paper towels.
- Preheat a grill (or a big cast iron pan) and grill the eggplant about 3 minutes on each side (depending on thickness). Taste a little piece before you remove the eggplant to make sure it’s cooked through. Undercooked eggplant really doesn’t taste good.
- Place a small spoonful of the cheese mixture at the base of the eggplant, then roll it up. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 224kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 436mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
39 Comments on “Grilled Eggplant Rolled with Ricotta and Basil”
Delicious! I’ve been preparing this recipe for so long, and is one of my favorites. The way I finished this dish is, covering the rolls with home-made tomato sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella, put back in the oven until the cheese is melted.
Oh that sounds awesome Carolina! Great idea!
This looks SO delicious! I have yet to try preparing eggplant on my own, so I think I’ll give this a try.
Thanks Jocelynne! Hope you enjoy it =)
This sounds tasty! I plan on making this for dinner this week for my husband and I. 🙂 Quick question though, what would be a good side to serve it with?
I always thought of this as a side! haha. Are you guys vegetarian?
No, not vegetarian, just trying to eat a bit healthier and I thought this to be a heathier stuffed shells without all the sauces and cheese like you mentioned. 🙂 I was thinking whole wheat pasta and a salad to make on the side though. Not sure if I’m overdoing/overthinking it though. 🙂
That sounds lovely! I think I need a salad right this minute =)
Our daughter Brandy is a vegetarian and this rec sounds fabulous for all of to share!!! Keep posting and we’ll keep following!!!
Happy Holidays!!!
Hi Rose, it’s one of my favorite vegetarian dishes, hope you all like it! Happy holidays =)
These look so delicious. I plan to make them this weekend. I have a silly question though…When you are purging the eggplant do you put it in water? Or does it just drain from the salt?
Hello, Water drains from the eggplant as it is drawn out from the salt (don’t immerse the eggplant in any water). We are drawing out excess liquid and bitterness from the eggplant =) Enjoy the dish! If you’re feeling up for it, you should do some homemade ricotta too…I make it all the time, it’s very easy and a million times better than storebought!
Wow, you learn something new every day! These look fabulous, by the way. Perfect for a summer barbecue.
I love this… it looks so good I want to run out and get some eggplant, call some friends and call it dinner.
This dish looks decadent so now you have 65,001 hits on this little number. The cheese and eggplant combo is delightful.
I’m making out my grocery list now so I can make these soon. Could you let me know how many servings (or rolls) this recipe makes, just in case I need to double up? Thanks.
Hey Deb! It depends on how big your eggplant is, but I would say this serves 4-5 (assuming this is like an appetizer or side dish) and it made about 8-10 rolls. I hope you enjoy them!!!