Recipe & Contest Announcements « Selena Robins Musings

Who loves eggplant as much as I do? I love it on pizza, in lasagna, in tomato sauce and in the summer it's delicious grilled on the barbecue (you don't even need meat, just dress it up as you would a meat burger).

Here's a favorite of mine compliments of Chef Rocco Dispirito (love his recipes):

Eggplant Manicotti: (I tweaked the recipe a little for my own taste, but I have added his version in brackets)

1 large eggplant

1 cup ricotta cheese (you can use fat-free if you wish)

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (if you prefer a milder cheese, you can use Parmesan)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 cups homemade tomato sauce (you can use store-bought jar sauce if you prefer)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (you can use calorie reduced cheese)

Olive oil spray

Preheat oven 60 450

With a sharp knife, square off the eggplant to make a block. Slice lengthwise into 8 slices that are about 1/6″ thick. Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheets (spray the baking sheets first). Season with salt and pepper to taste and lightly spray with olive oil spray. Roast eggplant until it's almost tender, about 20 minutes. Let it cool slightly.

While eggplant is cooling, combine ricotta, 1/4 cup of Romano (or parmesan cheese) and basil in a medium bowl. Season cheese mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread 3/4 cup sauce in a 7 x 10 baking dish.

Lay roasted eggplant slices on a work surface. Spoon 1/8 of the ricotta mixture onto the bottom of each piece of eggplant and then roll it up, jelly-roll style, to encase the filling. Nestle the 8 eggplant "manicotti" seam side down, in the baking dish.

Pour remaining tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining grated cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Enjoy….until next time…..