I know I’ve said this before, but I am obsessed with finger foods. I’m also obsessed with anything stuffed. So naturally when I saw an eggplant in my fridge, I went right to a stuffed finger food. These are ricotta stuffed- I love ricotta ’cause it’s a subtle flavor with a good light texture… so fluffy and creamy. I used portobello mushroom, onion, garlic, and fresh thyme as the savory part of the stuffing, to add both flavor and texture, and topped it all off with pesto and parmesan… light and flavorful!
Makes 6-8 rolls, depending on size of eggplant
INGREDIENTS
1 eggplant
1/2 yellow onion
1 large garlic clove, or 2 small
1/2 portobello mushroom
ricotta cheese, 1 tbsp per roll
fresh thyme, about 1 tbsp
shredded parmesan, about 1/4 cup
pesto, for topping- use your favorite or see my recipe HERE
fresh basil leaves, for garnish, optional
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Prep eggplant by rinsing and cutting off ends
Cut eggplant in half lengthwise
Cut eggplant into about 1/4 inch slices
(you want the slices to be flesh and flat on both sides- discard ends)
Place on a baking sheet
Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until slices are soft
While eggplant is cooking, prepare stuffing…
Dice onion, garlic, half of the mushroom, and thyme
Saute over medium heat with a little olive oil
Cook for about ten minutes, until veggies are tender and lightly golden brown
Remove from heat and set aside
Remove eggplant from oven and let cool (enough to handle)
Chop basil leaves and get ingredients gathered to easily stuff slices
Start with a spoonful of mushroom stuffing
Top with about a tbsp of ricotta cheese
I find it best to place the stuffing on the bigger end of the eggplant
Top with a few piece of fresh basil
Then add a large pinch of shredded parmesan
Starting with the larger end, roll up eggplant tightly
Repeat with remaining slices
Place rolls on a lightly oiled baking sheet
Bake for about 20 minutes, until edges are just beginning to brown
Plate, top with a spoonful of pesto and sprinkle with remaining parmesan
Garnish with basil if desired
