Aubergine Rolls
By: Helen Pitlick
Published: Friday, December 10, 2010 - 1:02am

Ingredients




1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup loosely-packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup loosely-packed fresh parsley
1/2 cup loosely-packed fresh spinach leaves
1 tablespoon toasted-pine nuts
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 aubergine, thick cut lengthwise into slices
2 cups marinara or tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella

Preparation

1 FILLING: in food processor, puree all filling ingredients. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. 2 If desired, salt aubergine slices and let sit 30 minutes. Rinse, drain and blot dry. 3 Lightly spray nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray; arrange aubergine slices in a single layer on sheet. Broil aubergine 2 to 3 inches from heat until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. 4 Preheat oven to 375 F. Spread about 1/2 cup marinara sauce on 9 x- 12-inch baking dish. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons ricotta filling in center of each aubergine slice; roll. Arrange rolls in baking dish, seam-side down. Top rolls with remaining sauce; sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until aubergine is tender and heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.

About


Extra ricotta filling from this easy recipe makes a great sandwich spread and pasta sauce. NOTE: Depending on size of aubergine used, there may be extra filling. Use it as a sandwich spread, toss it with hot pasta, or thin it with a little water left from boiling pasta for dipping. VARIATION: Add 1 oz. reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes to filling.