Eggplant Involtini
Eggplant Involtini is a simple recipe that brings traditional Italian flavors to your table.
Thin slices of eggplant are rolled with a creamy ricotta filling and baked in a rich tomato sauce until tender and bubbling. It’s a comforting dish that’s easy to make and just right when you want something meatless but full of flavor!
We always have two or three eggplant bushes growing in our garden, which produce lots of fruit. Eggplants, also known as aubergines, are very popular in Southern Italy. There are many ways to prepare them, and one of my favorites is this tasty recipe for Eggplant Involtini.
This Marinated Eggplant recipe is another one we adore, and often include in our antipasto selection. We also enjoy eggplant cutlets made by dusting sliced eggplant in flour, then in beaten eggs, and coating them in seasoned breadcrumbs before frying. But this Eggplant Involtini recipe is just a little extra special.
What are involtini?
Involtini translates loosely to “small roll or bundle” in Italian. Use meat, chicken, fish, or vegetables to wrap the filling. Think thin slices of veal, chicken, beef, pork, or fish, or grilled zucchini or peppers, but in this case, it’s eggplant. The filling is often cheese, vegetables, or cured meats.
This Eggplant Involtini recipe began as a recipe from the famed cook, Nigella, but has evolved over the years. My version is less oily. Eggplant slices need just a light brush with oil before cooking. The filling is classic Italian – ricotta and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese plus lots of parsley and basil.
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- Eggplants: Choose medium-sized eggplants that are glossy and firm with no soft spots. They should feel heavy for their size. Keep in mind that smaller eggplants have fewer seeds and are usually sweeter, so avoid the really big ones!
- Ricotta Cheese: Use good-quality, whole-milk ricotta for the best flavor and texture in the filling for these Eggplant Involtini. This isn’t the time to go low-fat. If you can’t find good ricotta at the store, try making your own with my easy homemade ricotta recipe.
- Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano): Buy a block and grate it yourself for a better result. Pre-grated cheese often has anti-clumping additives that can affect how it melts and tastes.
- Mozzarella cheese: I like to use fresh mozzarella works too; just be sure to drain it thoroughly so the Eggplant Involtini stays rich and creamy, not soggy. Low-moisture mozzarella also works.
- Tomato Passata: This is pureed and strained tomatoes that are 100% additive-free (aside from the optional basil leaf). You’ll find it usually sold in bottles. If you can’t find passata, pureed canned tomatoes are a good option.
- Breadcrumbs: For this Eggplant Involtini recipe, use fresh breadcrumbs made with day-old bread, not pangrattato.
- Olive oil: Both regular and extra virgin can be used.
- Seasonings: Fresh garlic, basil, and parsley are available at most grocery stores. Be picky when choosing. Look for firm garlic and vibrant, not limp herbs.
Instructions
Combine the filling ingredients.
Slice the eggplant lengthwise. Then brush with oil and cook in a griddle pan or electric grill.
Place a large tablespoon of filling on each slice of eggplant.
Roll up tightly.
Arrange eggplant involtini in a baking dish and pour over tomato puree.
Top with mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Marcellina’s Hint: Today, I find most commercially grown eggplants are bred to be less bitter and don’t usually require salting. However, if the eggplants have a lot of seeds, they could be bitter. In this case, lightly salt the slices and let them sit for 20–30 minutes to draw out excess moisture and bitterness. Pat dry before cooking.
Substitutions
- Eggplant: Use zucchini instead of eggplant. Layer two, overlapping slices of zucchini. Then, fill and roll.
- Ricotta: Substitute mozzarella or cream cheese for half of the ricotta.
- Mozzarella: Sprinkle with parmesan or Romano cheese instead of mozzarella.
Variations
- Herby: Add a teaspoon of dried oregano to the filling instead of the fresh herbs.
- Zingy: Grate the zest of a lemon into the Eggplant Involtini filling.
- Sicilian Eggplant Involtini: Add a handful of raisins, currants, or pine nuts to the filling.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Eggplant Involtini can be eaten cold or heated through in the microwave or regular oven.
Eggplant Involtini is perfect for making ahead. Assemble the dish right up to step 5, then cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Let it sit at room temperature for a bit before baking if you can, but if not, just add 5 to 10 extra minutes in the oven.
Top Tips
- Choose the right eggplants. They should be firm, shiny, medium-sized eggplants.
- Salting isn’t always necessary; however, if the eggplants have a lot of seeds, this is a good precaution. Sprinkle the slices lightly with salt and allow to stand for 20-30 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel before grilling.
- The part that will take the longest is grilling the eggplant slices. If you have time, this can be done in advance, even the day before. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until needed.
- If you don’t have a grill pan, brush eggplant slices with oil and bake in the oven until cooked through. Alternatively, shallow fry in hot oil, then drain well on a paper towel.
- Season well with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs. Ricotta is mild, so seasoning makes all the difference.
- Allow the Eggplant Involtini to rest for a few minutes before serving. This helps the flavors settle and makes them easier to plate than straight out of the oven.
FAQ
Yes, cover well with plastic wrap right after assembly and before baking. Pop into the freezer for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator and bake as per the recipe. Allow a few minutes extra because the dish is being baked from cold.
There’s no real difference between the two. Involtini means “little rolls” and is the Italian word for slices of meat or vegetables rolled around a filling. Rollatini, instead, is not an Italian word at all. It’s likely to be an Italian American term for involtini. So different words, but both refer to the same delicious dish!
Use thin slices of grilled zucchini or Italian roasted peppers instead of grilled eggplant slices. Blanched cabbage leaves are another option.
What to serve with eggplant involtini
There could not be a more versatile recipe. Served as an appetizer, side, or main dish, these Eggplant Involtini will be enjoyed by meat eaters and vegetarians alike.
If serving as a main dish, provide a big salad like Green Bean Salad or Spinach Salad. Whichever way you serve this, be sure to provide a hunk of crusty bread to mop up the juices.
More vegetarian recipes
- Ricotta Pie
- Eggs in Purgatory (Eggs in Tomato Sauce)
- Roasted Zucchini
- Pasta Shells Stuffed with Ricotta
- Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta from It’s Not Complicated
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Eggplant Involtini Recipe
Ingredients
Eggplant
- 2 medium-sized eggplant (approximately 1lb/400g each)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- salt
Sauce and topping
- 2½ cups (600ml) tomato puree or tomato passata (or blended canned tomatoes)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 7 ounces (200 grams) fresh mozzarella
For the filling
- 1 ⅓ cup (250 grams) fresh ricotta cheese
- ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Parmesan cheese)
- 4 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
- 2 garlic cloves minced, crushed or finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or more as desired
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or more as desired
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Firstly, wash the eggplant, cut off the tops, and slice lengthwise into about ¼ inch (6mm) slices. I get about 8-10 slices per eggplant. Peel before slicing if desired.
- Brush slices with olive oil and grill using electric grill or grill pan. Remove the grilled eggplant slices as they are done setting aside on a plate. Lightly salt the eggplant slices. For other options see notes.
- Place a large tablespoon of prepared filling onto a slice of grilled eggplant. Roll up and arrange into a baking dish. This is a recipe that can easily be adjusted according to how many guests you have.
- Combine tomato passata with extra virgin olive oil and salt.
- Pour seasoned tomato passata over the the rolls and sprinkle with chopped mozzarella.
- Bake at 350ºF/180ºC for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and the cheese is melted and golden. By this time your house should smell heavenly.
- Once out, let the dish stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Beautiful with crusty bread and a salad.
Filling
- Combine all ingredients for filling and set aside.
Notes
- Choose firm, shiny, and medium-sized eggplants.
- If the eggplants have lots of seeds, lightly salt and let sit 20–30 minutes. Pat dry before grilling.
- Grilling the eggplant slices takes the most time, but you can do it a day ahead and store in the fridge.
- No grill pan? Bake slices brushed with oil or shallow fry and drain well.
- Ricotta is mild, so use salt, pepper, and fresh herbs generously.
- Let the eggplant involtini sit a few minutes out of the oven to settle the flavors and make plating easier.
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
This updated recipe was first published on September 11, 2010.
Eggplant picked from garden today in New Hampshire and made with all homemade ingredients. Delicious! My favorite.
Christine, there is so much pleasure cooking with your home grown produce, isn’t there? I’m glad you love this recipe! Thank you for letting me know.
ciao marcellina come stai for the involtini can I use zucchini instead of eggplant is it the same way you make eggplant please let me know thank you for the recipes ciao marcellina alpiu fresto
Ciao Ada. Tutto bene, grazie. Spero anche lei. Yes, you can zucchini in exactly the same way. It will be delicious!
thank you marcellina I will try it with zucchini and I will let you know how it turns out ciao for now
You’re welcome, Ada!
Hi Marcellina.
I made this tonight and we loved every mouthful. I made the eggplant with the eggs and breadcrumbs first and fried them.
Put the ricotta filling and added pine nuts and raisins and it was delicious.
It’s mine of my favourite dishes now.
Thank you for sharing. Happy cooking 😘
Luisa, your version sounds wonderful! I’m thrilled that you love this recipe 🙂
This looks wonderful. I’ll try it in the near future.
One suggestion … while it’s clear in Photo #2, you might want to say in the recipe to slice the eggplant “lengthwise” … just to leave no doubt. 🙂 (I usually “jump” to the recipe. 🙂 )
Thanks for posting so many delicious recipes!
— Mike
Thank you for the lovely comment and for your thoughtful suggestion, Mike! That’s a great point about slicing the eggplant lengthwise. While it’s shown in the step-by-step photos, adding it clearly to the recipe will definitely help those who head straight to the method (which I often do too!). I’ll make that adjustment. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback, and I hope you enjoy the Eggplant Involtini when you make it!
Your eggplant dish looks delicious Marcellina, eggplant is one of my favourite vegetables to cook with. I love making eggplant parmigiana, so will give this one a try when some fresh eggplant come my way.
Pauline, it’s so good! Definitely try it.
I forgot to mention I made the ricotta which I think made a big difference. Marcellina has an easy recipe on this site.
I love eggplant and this recipe is superb. I experimented a bit and did a flour and egg
wash and fried the eggplant first. I used leftover marinara from Marcellina’s recipe and fontina cheese in place of the mozzarella. Sorry for the changes. The filling was terrific. One question I have is the crushed clove of garlic. I wasn’t sure where it went so I grated it into the filling which was delicious.
Thank you for your wonderful comments, Ray! The filling is just a simple combine all the ingredients so that’s correct to add the garlic into the filling.
Thank you Marcellina!
Marcellina, can I cook the eggplant slices in a George Foreman grill?
Yes, you can definitely do that, Mary.
While I enjoy eggplant parmigiana, I really like eggplant involtini better. I’ve not had a version with breadcrumbs in the filling and can’t wait to give this a try.
It’s really good, Karen! The breadcrumbs just add a bit of substance.
Hi Marcella, this looks great. Do you think it would work if I steamed the eggplant first rather than grill or fry?
Hi Liz! I’ve never tested the recipe with steamed eggplant slice but I can’t see why not. The problem I think would be that the eggplant would be quite soft and delicate and may not roll as easily. Also the flavor will be slightly different because grilling of frying caramelizes the slices. Let me know how you go.
This sounds very tasty! Funny thing, although I adore eggplant and prepare it often in the summer (I just made a parmigiana the other day) I’ve never made them into involtini? Not sure why… but this recipe might just inspire me to change my ways.
Frank, this is really good and simple too!
Love this low carb casserole! I have to make extra portion of filling so I can snack on it while making rolls LOL Very yummy!
Angie
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Yes, this is naturally low carb. Such a delicious recipe!
Egg plant is somehow a favorite vegetable for almost any cultures and nationalities…. This delicious involtini just adds to the list of great dishes made from aubergines.I will give it a try and thanks for sharing!Sawadee from bangkok,Kris
I'm definately a huge mozzarella and aubergine fan (as well as Jamie and Nigella fan!) and your involtini sounds delicious! If I try really hard, I'm sure I can smell all those rich smells (lol). I love moussaka so I will definately be giving this a try very soon xx
That looks really delicious. The photographs are lovely too.
this dish sounds wonderful. I would love to try that feta cheese.
So we were on the same groove, posting eggplant rollatini! I love your idea to grill them first, rather than fry them and I will have to try that next time I make them.
This looks and sound other-worldly good. I've bookmarked this one and will try it for sure. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary
This may be the most delicious egg plant recipe I've seen!
Yummy super yummy Marcellina ! I love jamie and nigella too but more j..! Ciao