This eggplant involtini recipe is made by rolling slices of oven-baked eggplant with basil-ricotta mixture and baking it in a homemade tomato sauce. Serve it as a vegetarian main course or as a side dish to accompany any meat dishes. Either way, it is easy-to-make and delicious.
The first time I published this recipe was back in June of 2014. Since then I have made it many times and it has been a summer favorite in our household. I thought that it would be nice to revisit the recipe, take new photos of the dish, and do a quick how-to video. Now, the video is not perfect as I am still learning how to shoot videos, but I think if you are looking for a visual it would give you an idea as to how to make this delicious eggplant dish. I tried to keep it short and therefore I didn’t shoot how to make the tomato sauce, but it is pretty straightforward and explained in detail in the recipe below. I usually keep a jar of this tomato sauce in my fridge and use it as a sauce for pizza and pasta dishes.
About the recipe:
This recipe is a lighter and easier version of the classic Italian eggplant involtini dish. In the original version, you are supposed to fry the eggplant. In my version, I bake slices of it in the oven. The important thing here is to make sure that all of theslices are in equal thickness. Therefore, it is important to choose two eggplants that are similar in size as well. I sliced mine in ½-inch thick slices. If you do so, you should get 5-6 slices from each eggplant. The plate I used in the video is a 10-inch plate, but you can use any oven-proof dish or cast iron skillet as well.
Below you will find the original post that was published back in 2014 (with some embarrassing photography). I am leaving it in just in case if you were using it as a reference.
You know how some people ask you about your favorite things to get to know you? Like “what is your favorite book?” , ”what is your favorite food?”, “what is your favorite movie”, etc.
I can’t say that I like answering those types of questions, mainly because most of the time I do not have a readily available answer in my mind.
Don’t get me wrong. I do have an opinion about what I like. But when it comes to picking a “favorite”, I feel like I am being unfair to the other things I like.
That being said, when it comes to vegetables, things are a little different. I do have a “favorite”. A favorite, that stood the test of time even after years of cooking with a lot of other vegetables.
My favorite vegetable is eggplant. If I had my way, I could eat eggplants every day for the rest of my life.
Bold statement from a person who claims she does not have “favorites”, right?!!??
When I saw the remake of Eggplant Involtini in this month’s Cooks Illustrated magazine, I couldn’t wait to go to the supermarket to get some eggplants so that I can make it right away. It came at a perfect time as I was looking for vegetarian dishes to share on the blog.
In Italian, Involtini means “little bundles”. And this dish is exactly that. Thinly sliced eggplants filled with a delicious ricotta cheese based filling, rolled into a bundle, and cooked in an easy-to-make tomato sauce.
After topping it off with freshly grated pecorino cheese and chopped fresh basil, to me, this dish represents the best flavors of the Italian Cuisine.
Here is how to make it:
Begin by getting all the ingredients ready. Pre-heat your oven to 375 F Degrees.
Then, peel the eggplants with a vegetable peeler. For this recipe, I would recommend shorter and wider eggplants to get the best results.
Cut each eggplant lengthwise into 6 slices. Each slice should be about ½ inch thick. Trim the rounded ends so that they will lay flat.
Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray them generously with cooking spray. Place 6 eggplant slices on each baking sheet.
Start with the first baking sheet. Brush each eggplant slice with two and a half tablespoons of olive oil and season it with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Flip each slice and do the same thing for the other side. Repeat the same process for the second baking sheet.
Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until they are tender and lightly browned. To ensure even baking, switch and rotate sheets half way through the baking process.
In the mean time, make the filling. Place 1 cup of homemade ricotta cheese (or full-fat supermarket ricotta cheese), ½ cup bread crumbs, ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir until they are all combined.
To make the tomato sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet (I used my 10-inch cast iron skillet). Add the 3 cloves of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir them with a wooden spatula and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and cook in medium low heat, until it thickens. At the very end, add the rest of the chopped basil (1/2 cup),give it a large stir, cover, and set aside.
When eggplants are baked, let them cool for 5 minutes. Do not turn the oven off. Heat the broiler.
Using a spatula, flip each slice over. With the widest side of the eggplant slices facing you, evenly distribute the ricotta mixture onto each slice. Starting from the widest end gently roll each piece and place it, seamed side down, in the pan with the tomato sauce.
Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Allow it to cook for 5 minutes.
Place it in the oven and broil for 5 minutes for the eggplants to be browned and the cheese to cook thoroughly. To finish it up, sprinkle it with ¼ cup of grated Pecorino Romano and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley. And serve.
Eggplant Involtini makes a great vegetarian main course. However, your can also serve it as a side dish next to your favorite meat dishes. Try it and you shall see.
Eggplant Involtini
This eggplant involtini recipe is made by rolling slices of oven-baked eggplant with basil-ricotta mixture and baking it in a homemade tomato sauce. Serve it as a vegetarian main course or as a side dish to accompany any meat dishes. Either way, it is easy-to-make and delicious.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Cooking and Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants, each approximately1 1/2 half lbs.*
- 5+1 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup ricotta cheese, preferably homemade
- 3/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese (Or Parmesan cheese)
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 + 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped – divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- Kosher Salt and Pepper
- 1 (28 ounces) can of diced tomatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375 F Degrees.
- Peel the eggplants. Cut them lengthwise into 6 slices. Each slice should be about 1/2 inch thick. Trim the rounded ends so that they will lay flat.
- Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray them generously with cooking spray. Place 6 eggplant slices on each baking sheet.
- Start with the first baking sheet. Brush each eggplant slice with two and a half tablespoons of olive oil (you use the 2.5 tbs olive oil to brush all of the slices) and season it with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Flip each slice and do the same thing for the other side. Repeat the same process for the second baking sheet.
- Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until they are tender and lightly browned. To ensure even baking, switch and rotate sheets half way through the baking process.
- In the mean time, make the filling. Place 1 cup of homemade ricotta cheese (or full-fat supermarket ricotta cheese), 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until they are all combined. Set aside.
- To make the tomato sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet (I used my 10-inch cast iron skillet). Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir them with a wooden spatula and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and cook in medium low heat, until it thickens. At the very end, add the rest of the chopped basil (1/2 cup),give it a large stir, cover, and set aside.
- When eggplants are baked, let them cool for 5 minutes. Do not turn the oven off. Heat the broiler.
- Using a spatula, flip each slice over. With the widest side of the eggplant slices facing you, evenly distribute the ricotta mixture onto each slice. Starting from the widest end, gently roll each piece and place it, seamed side down, in the pan with the tomato sauce.
- Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Allow it to cook for 5 minutes.
- Place it in the oven and broil for 5 minutes for the eggplants to be browned and the cheese to cook thoroughly.
- To finish it up, sprinkle it with 1/4 cup of grated Pecorino Romano and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve.
Notes
* I would recommend shorter and wider eggplants to get the best results.
Recipe adapted (with minor changes) from Cook’s Illustrated magazine, June 2014 edition.
I came across this post on Blogher and just wanted to say the Eggplant Involtini looks so nice (and delicious). I would be such great dish to entertain with.
Hi Thao,
You are right. It is a great dish for entertaining.
Thank you for stopping by.
Cheers!
Ice
I love eggplant so much too and I’m happy to see it at bazaar these days. You know it tastes better in summer. I like it in any forms from karniyarik and imambayildi to a simple fried version. Never had involtini before. These little bundles look so elegant! Love the ricotta filling inside. Bookmarking it to try later.
It’s a great idea to bake eggplant in the oven then cook with it. I love eggplant but always have trouble to cook with them, since it requires a lot of oil to be delicious. I never had eggplant involtini before, but they look so delicious in the picture.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hey! Cooks specifically says NOT to use pre-diced tomatoes, as they take longer to break down. Use whole tomatoes and crush them with your fingers. (There was a long discussion about why in the article.)
In any case, this is a great recipe, and freezes well, too.
Oh, and it can’t be 2.5 Tbsp of olive oil for each eggplant slice!! What does the original say? (Can’t find it..!)
Hi Nell,
Yes, you are right. You use the 2.5 tbsp olive oil for all the eggplant slices. Not just for 1 slice.
I made the changes in the recipe to make it clear.
Thank you so much for pointing it out.
And please let me know if I can answer any other questions you may have.
Best,
Ice
Hi Nell,
Interesting.. Do you have a copy of that article? I would love to read it.
Thank you for your kind comment and letting me know about the tomatoes.
Best,
Ice
Hey Aysegul, I’m in the middle of making this dish and discovered that your ingredient list calls for 1/4 + 1/2 cups chopped fresh basil. My problem is that I can’t fumigate out what to use the last 1/2 cup of basil for. Is this a typo or am I missing something? Also, I’d add the 2T chopped fresh parsley to the ingredient list. Maybe you ment to garnish with the last 1/2 cup basil?
Hi Amy,
I used the 1/2 cup of basil in the tomato sauce to give it a lot of basil flavor. If you are making the tomato sauce yourself you can add it at the very end. If you didn’t, you’ll still be fine.
In terms of the parsley, it was intentional. I garnished it with parsley.
I am sorry for the error. I corrected it.
Please let me if I can help you in any other way.
Thank you for letting me know.
Aysegul
Thanks!
As you can see from my typing, we all make errors (fumigate out = figure out) 🙂 Thanks for posting this, I ended up using the basil at the end and my husband and I really enjoyed eating this for dinner. Love the recipes you post on your site, and the pictures are the best!!
These kinds of mistakes for a recipe writer are very embarrassing, but mistakes happen. Thank you so much for your understanding Amy. You are very kind. I appreciate it.
I am so SO glad to hear that you guys liked it.
Cheers from the sunny Caribbean islands!
This looks delicious, I’m going to have to give it a try cause I have to be honest of all the vegetables out there I have not been able to embrace eggplant, I’ve made it a few times where it’s turned out okay and everyone seems to like it but me! But I’ve not tried it in little cheese bundles so I’m going to have to to give this a shot right after your fantastic chicken! Hugs from Germany x
This is one of the rare posts that leave no question marks behind! Great recipe, great pics, awesome video! Will try soon.
That is so SO sweet. Thank you!
THIS LOOKS AMAZING, CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE IT. HEADING TO VEGGIE STAND @ LUNCH
YAY! I hope you like it as much as we do. 🙂
Aysegul – I certainly was not disappointed by another wonderful recipe from you. This dish was really wonderful and I must say, I am an eggplant convert. I am working my way through many of your recipes as they fit my plant-based (and somewhat restrictive) diet that I am on. Just wanted to let you know that your soups and beautiful veggie dishes will be warming up my Pittsburgh winter!
Hi Makeda,
How nice of you to let me know that you like my recipes. I am so SO glad that I am able to provide you with recipes that help you with your cooking. This eggplant dish is a favorite in our house as well. 🙂
THANK YOU so much Makeda. Seriously, this means so much to me.
Warmly,
<3