Perfect for a light dinner that still feels elegant.

Tender, golden eggplant slices wrapped around a zesty ricotta filling and baked until bubbling and golden. This Eggplant Rollatini is lighter, fresher, and tastier than you’d expect!

A rustic white plate topped with a rolled up fried piece of eggplant topped with rich red marinara sauce, golden mozzeralla cheese, and pieces of bright green basil with the red baking dish full of rolls sitting in the background.

Why Eggplant Rollatini?

I absolutely love chicken rollatini. And chicken cutlets. There are so many variations and things you can do and that’s always the best when it comes to cooking at home, making things to your preferences! But there is something so enticing about a meal without meat. It’s so much lighter and fresher.

This dish is perfect to wow your guests with presentation. It’s much prettier to plate these golden eggplant rollatini rolls than a pile of eggplant lasagna (where you can’t even see the eggplant)! It’s also still a mild dish which I always lean towards when I have guests. We brighten up the ricotta filling with lemon but still have all the traditional lasagna-like flavors.

Ingredients

Outside of the eggplant and maybe the ricotta and mozzarella, you may have a lot of these items on hand already!

Fresh Ingredients

eggplants – a big one or a few small ones
eggs – for breading the eggplant
parmigiano reggiano – the real stuff is the best and totally worth it
whole milk ricotta – whole milk is creamier than part-skim
whole milk mozzarella – similar to above, whole milk mozzarella melts beautifully
lemon zest – I always try to buy organic when I use the zest, but use what you can
Basil – optional, but really tasty and brightens it up for presentation!

Pantry Ingredients

marinara sauce – homemade or store bought
seasoned Italian breadcrumbs – my favorite brand is 4C!
kosher salt – always Diamond Crystal here!
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper to taste
oil for frying the eggplant – my favorite for this type of shallow frying is the Filippo Berio Extra Light olive oil

A small sheet pan topped with brown parchment paper with a container of polly-o ricotta, a block of Galvani whole milk mozzarella cheese, a long microplane grater, a whole lemon, and a chunk of parmigiano reggiano to showcase all of the eggplant rollatini filling ingredients.

All About Eggplant

Eggplants are part of the nightshade family and they came in various shades of purple. The American eggplant is often what you are seeing in your local grocery store with its dark purple color. Interestingly, they are very low in calories.

I was not always an eggplant lover and not because of the flavor but actually due to the seeds! Weirdly enough that texture stood out to me. What I have since learned is to stick with smaller eggplants, they are more likely to have less seeds in them. So if you’re like me and this recipe containing eggplant intimidates you, grab the small ones! Otherwise, you can skip this advice all together.

A gold sheet pan with paper towels and slices of eggplant on top, a large shallow bowl of beaten eggs, and another large shallow bowl filled with seasoned Italian breadcrumbs.

How to Make Eggplant Rollatini

A simple egg and breadcrumb station, fry them up, whip up your filling, roll and bake!

Prep the Eggplant: Thinly slice the eggplant and salt each slice to draw out the moisture. Pat dry. Season the breadcrumbs for maximum flavor. Dip each piece of eggplant into the beaten egg and then the breadcrumb mixture.
Fry the Eggplant: Heat your olive in a large pan and fry each slice until golden, laying on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Make the Filling: Combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parmigiano, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth.
Assemble the Rollatini: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread marinara in the bottom of a baking dish. Place 2 tablespoons of filling at the wider end of each eggplant slice. Roll up gently and place seam side down in the dish. Spoon additional marinara over the top of each roll, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and parmigiano.
Bake: Bake for 20 minutes covered and then 10 minutes uncovered. Broil for extra bubbliness in the cheese topping.
Serve and Enjoy: Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!

A step by step image of how to make eggplant rollatini including step 1 of slices of eggplant with egg and breadcrumb, step 2 a piece of fried eggplant with a dollop of ricotta filling sitting next to a rolled up version to see the difference, step 3 involves putting marinara at the bottom of the square baking dish and adding in your eggplant rolls, and step 4 topping with shredded mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano.

What to Serve with Eggplant Rollatini

While one of my favorite things about this dish is that it is practically lightened up lasagna, it still makes for a very filling and satisfying meal.

You could serve this with a simple pasta on the side. Maybe bucatini with some leftover marinara sauce doctored up. Or just go with a simple salad. An Arugula salad with a simple vinaigrette or an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar would be delish.

If you’re looking for something heavier, you could do a baguette with fresh, salted butter on the side.

But I would eat this meal by itself any day!

A far away photograph of a rustic white plate topped with a rolled up fried piece of eggplant topped with rich red marinara sauce, golden mozzeralla cheese, and pieces of bright green basil with the red baking dish full of eggplant rollatini sitting in the background.

Storage Tips

This recipe only makes about 6-8 rolls. You can reheat it in the oven if you have any leftovers. Due to the fried eggplant with the marinara, I highly recommend you eat it on day 1! It would make a great dish to serve to guests where it will all be eaten up!