Spinach-stuffed Eggplant Rollatini

A little sad that the best picture I could get of this was on my 2 year-olds plate - I should have taken some pictures before they baked - but the consolation to that is that she liked it so much she ate it all!

I originally was going to make this dish with chicken, but after finding some lovely-looking eggplant on sale, I decided to go the vegetarian route instead. Luckily that turned out to be a good choice! And after searching for some inspiration for the filling, I decided to come up with my own based on what I had on hand. The final product was fabulous! I think the eggplant was a perfect "wrapper" (but honestly, when is fried eggplant not good?), and the filling was creamy and cheesy and it all worked together perfectly. I really like cooking with eggplant, so I'm glad to have another option (especially a meatless one) to add to the rotation!

Ingredients

1 eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices (I had 8 total slices)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Canola oil, for frying
1 (8 ounce) package low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

*Optional step, to reduce the possibility of bitterness: Place the eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit 15 minutes to "sweat" - you'll see beads of moisture appear on the slices. Rinse eggplant and pat dry.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl. Dip the eggplant slices in egg, then coat with bread crumbs. Fry the eggplant on each side until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine cream cheese, spinach, mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well.

4. Spread a few tablespoons of the spinach mixture onto each slice of eggplant. Roll up tightly, and place seam-side down in a 2 qt. baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over the rolls, and top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and filling is heated through.

5. While the eggplant is baking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the angel hair pasta and cook about 4 minutes or until al dente. Drain.

6. Serve eggplant rolls and sauce over the pasta.

Linguine with Eggplant Ragout

From Rachael Ray magazine. A yummy, light summer supper!

Ingredients

2 eggplants (about 2 lbs)
1 lb. linguine pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced (my addition)
1 - 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Pierce the eggplants all over, place on a baking sheet and cook until very soft, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly, then cut each eggplant in half and scoop the flesh into a bowl; discard the skin.

2. Meanwhile, in a pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice and cook until the liquid has reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in the eggplant; heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the pasta and basil; toss to coat. Add the reserved pasta and cooking water as needed.

Stuffed Eggplant

This is another recipe I came up with to use that awesome cheap eggplant I mentioned in the previous post. I looked around for some ideas for the stuffing and then combined a few different recipes in creating this. I think it turned out great, and was a nice variation since most eggplant recipes I find include marinara sauce and pasta.

This stuffing would be great in anything - I liked it on the eggplant, but if you aren't a fan (my husband didn't eat much of his eggplant shell) you could also put it on some large portabellas or in red peppers.



Ingredients

2 small-medium eggplant
1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp white cheddar, but any good melty cheese like mozzarella would also be good)

Directions

1. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in.-thick shell. Set shell aside. Chop pulp.

2. In a skillet, brown and crumble sausage until cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

3. In same skillet, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil or butter to the sausage drippings. Saute eggplant pulp and onion over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes more. Turn off the heat and add the panko, parsley and salt and pepper. Spoon into eggplant shells.

4.Place on a large baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Eggplant Gratin

Although I find Ina Garten insanely boring to watch and listen to, I have to admit she does make good food. Eggplant was on sale at my Sprouts this week for $0.69 each (each!)- so I couldn't resist picking up a few. I was going to just make Eggplant Parmesan again, but then I found this recipe and I'm glad we tried this instead. Yum!

I did follow the advice of some of the reviews and add some garlic powder, oregano, and basil to the ricotta mixture to enhance the flavor, and I used one large eggplant (not sure of the weight) but doubled everything else, and it came out perfect. We enjoyed this with some buttered pasta on the side and I'll definitely be making this again.

Final note: The recipe reads as if you are going to make this in two individual gratins, which confused me as I was preparing because I was preparing in just one 9x13... note that that the layers are as such: eggplant, Parmesan, marinara, eggplant, ricotta mixture, more Parmesan.

Eggplant Gratin
from Ina Garten


Ingredients

Good olive oil, for frying
3/4 pound eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good bottled marinara sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

In each of 2 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.

Eggplant Parmigiana

I've always loved restaurant Eggplant Parmesan, but haven't ever been able to make a really good one at home. I figured out this is because in trying to be health conscious, I've always breaded and then baked the eggplant before assembling the dish. Which works fine, but of course it lacks the super-yum factor.

I found this recipe in the Martha Stewart Living magazine, and since eggplant was on sale this week I decided to try it. Simple, easy, and super-yum! Even my 15 month-old loved it. A really good (homemade if you can) marinara sauce is key.

Eggplant Parmigianafrom Martha Stewart Living, January 2011

For Breading and Frying
2 cups fine plain fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 large eggplants, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more if needed

For Assembling
Marinara Sauce
3 cups coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
3/4 finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions1. Bread and fry the eggplant: Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Put flour, eggs, and breadcrumb mixture in 3 separate dishes. Dredge eggplant in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Dredge in breadcrumbs to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Heat oil in large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry eggplant until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. (If oil gets too dirty, discard, and heat an additional 1/4 cup.)

3. Assemble the dish: Preheat oven to 375. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant on top, overlapping slightly. Top with 1 cup sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 Parmesan. Repeat twice to form layers with eggplant, sauce, then cheeses. Cover with foil. Bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes more.

Baked Angel Hair with Eggplant

Holy Goodness.

This is another recipe that we have Giada De Laurentiis to thank for.

I must admit to serious skepticism before trying it out though. I mean:

Spaghetti...Good.
Eggplant...Delish.
Puff Pastry...Heaven.

But all together in one dish? Not sure how that was going to work out (especially with the puff pastry on both the top and the bottom), and I was bummed that there wasn't a picture posted to go along with it (and sorry, I forgot to take one as well)...but it definitely did not disappoint! Its like a fantastic little spaghetti pie that you just want to keep eating and eating and eating :)

Baked Angel Hair with Eggplant
from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 6 Japanese eggplants (about 2 lbs total), cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 lb. mild Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1/3 cup dry red wine
3 cups marinara sauce
1 tsp. dried crushed red pepper flakes
8 oz. angel hair pasta
1 lb. mozzarella, diced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 (17.25 oz) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

Directions

1. Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the eggplant and toss to coat in the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute the eggplant until it is golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium. Add half of the garlic and saute until it is tender, about 2 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant mixture to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining 1/4 cup oil and the remaining eggplant and garlic.

2. Add the sausage and wine to the same frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the wine evaporates and the sausage is brown, breaking the sausage into pieces with the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, marinara sauce, and crushed red pepper to the eggplant mixture, and toss to combine.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until pasta is still slightly crunchy and undercooked. Drain. Toss the angel hair with the eggplant mixture. Cool completely. Add the mozzarella and Parmesan and toss to combine.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

5. Roll out 1 pastry sheet on a floured surface to a 13 1/2-inch square. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan, allowing the excess pastry to hang over the rim. Spoon the pasta mixture into the pan. Place the second pastry sheet atop the pasta filling. Pinch the edges of the pastry sheets together to seal. Trim the overhanging pastry edges to about 1-inch. Fold the pastry edges in to form a decorative border. Cut a slit in the center of the top pastry to allow the steam to escape.

6. Bake until the pastry is brown and puffed on top, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let stand for 20 minutes. Remove the pan sides and serve.