Wait, it’s really Wednesday already? When did that happen? I always try to get a post out on Monday or Tuesday, but I seem to have failed this week. Oh well, I’ll make it up to you with these amazing (I mean, really amazing) eggplant cannelloni.
I feel like most of you have your eyebrows knit all the way down to your nose in distrust right now. Why would I take a perfectly delicious, adorably large noodle that is stuffed with all sorts of creamy goodness and replace it with eggplant?
Eggplant! Of all things.
Well, I’m not really sure why I decided to do this. But I was inspired by another recipe I saw (I can’t remember where, now) and I am now a believer. I believe that eggplant, oddly shaped and purple as it is, is a perfectly decent if not entirely equivalent noodle replacement for cannelloni.
There, I’ve said it. Eggplant = Noodle. I’ve made a few eggplant dishes in my day, like my Caramelized Eggplant and Pesto Pasta and my Marinara Stuffed Roasted Eggplant. I have honestly never had any that tasted bitter. I think modern eggplant has had all the bitterness selected out of it, so it’s really not a concern any more. If you’ve been scared to try eggplant, I say give it a go.
Because of the whole eggplant thing, I decided to go pretty traditional on the rest of these with a creamy ricotta filling with wilted spinach and roasted red peppers. But then I realized I was out of spinach, and kale was my only option.
The kale was a WIN. Where spinach gets more bitter with cooking, in my opinion, kale actually loses its bitterness. It’s also a bit salty and has more chew, even after sauteing for a while. I felt like it really complimented the eggplant, but didn’t give up that simple, traditional flavor at all.
Making these cute little rolls is actually pretty simple. Here’s how it goes:
- Bake eggplant slices for 20 minutes.
- Sautee kale.
- Combine kale, ricotta, and red peppers.
- Make rolls, then bake!
All in all you should be done in under an hour – not quite a weeknight meal, but doable if you’ve somehow got a little extra time on your hands.
Usually, when there is a lunch portion left over from dinner, I’ll be the one who eats it for lunch the next day. AJ likes his PB&J for lunch. But these? Nope, they went to work with AJ. I’ll take that as a testament to their tastiness.
Eggplant, Kale & Ricotta Cannelloni
Ingredients
- 2 medium italian eggplants
- spray oil
- 425g tub of low-fat ricotta
- 5 oz chopped kale, stems removed
- ¼ cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- salt, to taste
- 1 (24oz) jar of your favorite marinara sauce
- freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 375°F. Generously spray a baking sheet (or two) with spray oil.
- Slice the eggplants into 1 cm slices and place on the baking sheet without overlapping. Generously oil the slices, flip, and oil the other side.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, then flip each of the slices over. Cook another 10 minutes or so until cooked and starting to turn golden. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350°F.
- While the eggplant slices bake, sautee the chopped kale over medium high heat for about 5-6 minutes, until wilted.
- Combine the ricotta, kale, chopped red peppers and rosemary in a large bowl and mix until everything is evenly distributed. Salt to taste.
- Spoon half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of an 11×13″ baking dish.
- Place about 1.5 tablespoons (I didn’t measure this, just go with your gut) onto the cut end of an eggplant slice and roll it up. The ends should meet and overlap a bit. Place into the baking dish and repeat until all the eggplant slices are used or your run out of space.
- Top the rolls with another bit of marinara, then pop it in the oven and cook for another 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.
- Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.
Notes
– If you have extra rolls altogether, you can bake them separately or just fridge them and heat them in the microwave the next day.They’re just as good!