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Spinach and artichoke stuffed aubergine
Christina (Vine and the Olive)

Aubergine Involtini

Stuffed Eggplant Roulades
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Onions small
  • 3 cloves Garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 can plum tomatoes whole (850g)
  • ¼ tsp Salt (adjust according to your tomatoes)
  • ½ tsp Oregano dried
  • ¼ tsp Smoked Paprika
  • ½ tsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • Pepper to taste
  • 1 Aubergine/Eggplant
  • Salt Coarse
  • 250 g Spinach frozen (heated and strained of excess water)
  • 100 g Artichoke chopped
  • 100 g Ricotta
  • 1 clove Garlic grated or finely chopped
  • ½ tsp Thyme dried
  • ⅛ tsp Salt
  • 25 g Parmesan grated
  • 1 Lemon all of the zest and juice of half of the lemon
  • Pepper to taste
  • Olive Oil
  • drizzle Creme Fraiche / Heavy Cream

Method
 

  1. Dice onions and add them to a lightly oiled pan over medium heat
  2. Begin roughly chopping 3 garlic and add to the pan when the onions have sufficiently softened and just before adding a whole can of plum tomatoes
  3. Finally add your salt, oregano, smoked paprika, balsamic vinegar and pepper
  4. Let it remain at a low simmer for approximately a half-hour until it has thickened up and the flavours have come together
  5. Using a knife or a mandoline, cut your aubergine lengthwise with a thickness of approximately .5cm
  6. Lay out the slices on a cooling rack and cover both sides generously with salt to remove excess water and bitterness from the aubergines (thus avoiding the spongy quality)
  7. Allow them to sit at least one half hour
  8. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C
  9. In a saucepan measure 250g of frozen spinach and place over a low heat to melt
  10. Meanwhile chop up 100 g of marinated artichoke (drained), place in a medium-sized bowl
    Add ricotta, your grated or finely chopped garlic clove, thyme, salt, parmesan, lemon zest and juice and season with pepper.
  11. When your spinach has completely thawed place it in a fine-mesh strainer to remove excess water before adding it to the bowl. Mix thoroughly
  12. Place your tomato sauce into an oven-safe baking dish (I split mine in two so we could enjoy the rest another night)
  13. Rinse off and pat dry your aubergines and give them a quick fry in a hot oiled pan to colour both sides
  14. Take your spinach filling and place a large dollop at the end of each piece of aubergine and roll up and place in your baking dish
  15. Take creme fraiche or heavy cream and spoon out or drizzle over the rolls before baking
    Cook for 25 minutes. If you'd like it a little more golden just give it a quick couple minutes under the broiler. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan.

Notes

While you could eat this alone we ate ours with leftover pasta and spooned these on top. Delicious!