Eggplant Lasagna Rolls
All the flavors of lasagna you love, but with just 373 calories, less than 30 grams of carbs and 20 grams of veggie-packed protein
Cuisine: American
Recipe type: Appetizer
Ingredients
- 3 large eggplants
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil, divided
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 2½ cups part-skim ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Position racks in the middle and upper third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.
- Slice each eggplant lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick strips. Discard any small or misshapen pieces. You should have about 24 strips. Sprinkle the strips with ¼ teaspoon salt and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Pat the eggplant slices dry and brush both sides with oil. Place on the prepared pans, overlapping the slices a little if necessary. Roast until soft and beginning to brown, swapping the pans from top to bottom midway, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, ¼ cup basil, 2 teaspoons garlic and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Spread ½ cup of the mixture in a broiler-safe 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Squeeze spinach to remove any excess liquid. Combine the spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic in a medium bowl.
- When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, spread a generous tablespoon of the ricotta mixture on each slice. Starting from the narrowest end, roll up the slices and place in the baking pan seam-side down. Top with the remaining tomato mixture.
- Bake the rolls on the middle rack until the tomato mixture is hot and bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and preheat the broiler to high.
- Top the rolls with mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup basil and serve.
