Sliced eggplants stuffed with Italian cheese and spinach, then rolled up and baked until tender with loads of melted cheese on top. These guilt-free Skinny Eggplant Rollatini are scrumptious, gluten free and low carb!
I am so excited by today's low carb recipe! These Skinny Eggplant Rollatini are so insanely delicious they would turn any eggplant hater into an unconditional lover.
Yes, really! These healthy eggplant roll-ups are so tender you don't even need a knife to cut them, they'll just melt in your mouth. And look at all this gooey mozzarella cheese! Doesn't it look scrumptious? Just the thought of these eggplant rollatini makes me hungry!
The stuffing for these vegetarian Eggplant Rollatini is made with three types of Italian cheeses, namely ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan as well as spinach.
Now, before you freak out because I said spinach (did you freak out?), let me tell you a little something. I've never been a fan of cooked spinach. Give me fresh spinach in a salad or a green smoothie any day but cooked? I'll pass, thanks.
Except, you really can't taste the spinach in these eggplant rollatini! Adding it in with the cheese mixture is the perfect way to sneak in some greens without even realizing it. Delicious, healthy and low-carb: win-win!
If you tried these Skinny Eggplant Rollatini, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Skinny Eggplant Rollatini
Sliced eggplants stuffed with Italian cheese and spinach, then rolled up and baked until tender with loads of ooey-gooey melted cheese on top. These guilt-free Skinny Eggplant Rollatini are scrumptious, gluten free and low carb!
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 1 cup reduced fat ricotta 9 oz/ 250 g
- 1 ½ cups shredded light mozzarella divided in ½ cup and 1 cup
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan
- 9 oz frozen spinach / 250 g, thawed and squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible
- 1 egg
- 1 clove garlic germ removed, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup tomato passata or marinara
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
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Remove eggplants' ends and slice them thinly lengthwise. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and place 12 eggplant slices on it. You may need to use two baking sheets or bake eggplant in two batches depending on the size of your oven).
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Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool.
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While eggplants are cooking, prepare ricotta/spinach mixture. In a bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella (½ cup), parmesan, spinach, egg and garlic. Mix well and season to taste.
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Spread ½ cup tomato sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish.
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Generously spread ricotta/spinach mixture on an eggplant slice (about two heaped tablespoons), roll it and arrange in prepared dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining eggplant.
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Top with remaining tomato sauce (½ cup) and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella (1 cup).
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Cover with foil, reduce oven to 350F and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool
Recipe Video
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Cathy
Are you slicing the eggplant horizontally or vertically? Also, are they sliced about 1/8 - 1/4 inch?
Thanks so much - sounds terrific!
marie
Hi Cathy,
The eggplants are sliced horizontally and I would say about 1/6 inch! I'll update the recipe.
Tricia
Have you tried freezing this before baking?
marie
I haven't tried but I think it would freeze well, yes 🙂
nada
no, eggplant will be like a leather, do not freeze this dish!
Marie
I did try since I left this comment and it freezes well 🙂 Not leather-y at all.
Crystal
Did you prebake the eggplant, assemble then freeze before final bake?
Marie
You can do that if you want to prepare ahead, but you can also freeze the cooked leftovers.
Seana Scala
Well I dont really like eggplant but love zucchini so I got 3 large ones and just followed menu and it was perfect!! I am a vegan/vegetarian so this menu was wonderful and was so light but full of veggies!!
Marie
Hi there! Oh cool! I need to try that. Thanks so much for sharing your version. Cheers.
Rebecca Sanchez
This might be a silly question, not sure.. but is this a good dish to reheat and eat for leftovers? Thanks!
marie
It's not a silly question at all 🙂 These rollatini make great leftovers yes!
Rolf
Please consider this, (from EUFIC.org)
In short: Please eat your spinach right away, do not reheat!
"Spinach and other leafy vegetables contain high concentrations of nitrate. The amount depends on the variety, season, and the soil and water conditions where the vegetable was grown. Nitrate itself is totally harmless, but it can be converted to nitrites, and then to nitrosamines, some of which are known to be carcinogenic. Enzymes present in bacteria convert nitrate to nitrite. This happens especially when spinach is heated, stored and then later reheated. Nitrite itself is a harmless compound, but it should be avoided by infants of up to 6 months. It can affect the ability of the blood to transport oxygen by transforming haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in the blood, into methaemoglobin, a form of the protein which is unable to carry oxygen. This can be dangerous for babies and is commonly known as “Blue Baby Syndrome”. However, in view of the fact that acidic conditions favour the formation of nitrosamines from nitrite, coupled with the facts that nearly all foods contain some protein and are exposed to acid in the stomach nitrosamine production cannot completely be prevented. Hence the recommendation to avoid reheating spinach."
Emma
Could I make and refrigerate fm before baking? Would it hold up? Or be mushy?
marie
Hi Emma! I'm not sure, they might become too watery. I would prepare everything ahead (bake the eggplant, prepare the cheese mixture) and assemble when you're ready to bake them. Hope this helps!
Wendi
How thin do you slice the eggplant? I think I sliced them to thin
marie
I would say about 0.4/0.5 cm (that would be a little more than 1/8-inch if that makes sense). Why do you think you sliced them to thin? The filling oozed out?
Sherry
How can I reduce the amount of sugar?
marie
Hi Sherry 🙂 I think most of the sugar in this recipe comes from the tomato passata and the eggplants, so I don't think you can really reduce the amount. Make sure you use a tomato sauce without added sugar. If that's still too much for you, I'd suggest using another recipe unfortunately 🙁 Hope this helps!
Wendy
To reduce the sugar, avoid low-fat dairy. Use the full fat dairy products, they don't have added sugars.
Gail Lemaire
Wendy is right! When food manufacturers remove certain elements from food and convert it to "low fat or no fat" the reduction of the oils (naturally occurring or added) is replaced by SUGAR. Therefore if low sugar is a goal, perhaps a diabetic requirement, use full fatted Dairy just use a little less to cut down on the natural Sugar in the products. Also, if you reduce volume of item and need more "oomph" or volume to offset lower use of any Dairy product you can use no sugar canned evaporated milk and they have a "skim milk" version I have cooked to decrease volume and make it thicker. Also, plain yogurt is often substituted for Dairy as some of this recipe calls for. There are options; just don't use "low/no fat". Regarding Tomato Sauce (Marinara) or any type, I never buy a jar that has any sugar in it whatsoever. Tomato Sauce does not require, nor should anyone add Sugar. When I make Sauce at home sometimes the canned tomatoes are a little sharp - that is why and when some cooks put sugar in... I will add a carrot - or 2 - whole and fish it out after the sauce is cooked. Carrots have naturally occurring sugar and add just the right amount to a sauce. BTW, I make big pots of Sauce and freeze it. Pasta night, we use our frozen Marinara, Meat Sauce, Eggplant, sometime we make tomato sauce with sausages, etc.
Gail Lemaire
Forgot one thing... when I fish the carrots out, I rinse them off - carefully and mash 'em up for the dog. Carrots - healthy treat for pets. Sometimes I eat it myself right out of the pot...shhhhh, don't tell anyone.
Molly
I just sliced the eggplant crosswise, which is not nearly large enough for the filling. The photo shows lengthwise, but in the top comment you say horizontally, which is crosswise.
Please clear up my confusion.
marie
Molly, sorry about the confusion! I thought horizontally meant lengthwise (I'm not a native speaker, my English is not perfect, sorry!). You do need to cut them lengthwise, not in rounds, if that makes sense. I hope you'll enjoy this recipe 🙂
Lara @ MommyKazam
Yum! This looks and sounds delicious! I now know exactly what I'm going to make with my first batch of eggplants from the garden. I think I may even be able to get my husband to like them with this recipe 🙂
marie
Oh you're so lucky to have fresh produce from your garden! I'm jealous!! haha. I hope your hubby will enjoy this recipe!
mary youngblood
Do you need to sweat the eggplant slices? I know that is not included in recipe, but would it help with any water build up? Not the best cook, just asking to learn. 🙂
marie
Hi Mary! No, there's no need in this recipe. You pre-bake the eggplant slices and then stuff them. I hope you'll like this recipe 🙂
Vicky
These look so yummy! I just recently posted a recipe round-up of the best low carb lunches and this was one of my favorites!
marie
Oh thanks so much Vicky! Heading to your blog now 🙂
Annie
Have you ever tried using fresh spinach? We always have a lot of that on hand!
marie
I haven't tried but I'm pretty sure it would work well! Just chop them before adding them to the cheese mixture. Let me know how you go 🙂
Heide V
This was the best meatless, no bread or pasta, meal I think I've ever had. I would never guess they weren't noodles.
Do you think this is gluten free? (Looking for ideas for a dinner party).
Thanks for an amazing recipe!
marie
I'm so happy to hear that Heide!! Yes, it's gluten free so it could be perfect if some of your guests are GF 🙂
Odette
I made this using fresh spinach. I did chop it and put it in the microwave for one minute to make it easier to blend. This was very good but for personal taste I would add more garlic and more Parmesan.
marie
Thank you Odette 🙂 It's good to know it works well with fresh spinach too!
[email protected] Yellow Farmhouse
I soooo want to make this very soon. It looks delicious!! I've already 'PINNED' it!
marie
Thanks a lot Cecile!!
Elisha
Can you make this without eggs?
marie
Yes definitely. The cheese mixture won't be as compact though and might fall more easily from the rollatini's sides so be careful. Enjoy!
Emily
I made these last night and absolutely loved them! Everything came out perfect and the flavor was so so good! I'm American living in Europe so having C and grams listed helped a lot! I'll definitely be making these again and again.
marie
So glad to hear that Emily! I'm French, living in Australia (and Canada before that) and most of my readers are in the US so definitely used to juggling with the two measurement systems! Glad it was helpful 🙂
Tracy H
By any chance do you have the nutrition vales for this recipe? Looks amazing!
marie
Yes Tracy, they are right in the recipe box
Miranda
Do yoy have the container coumt for 21 day fix?
Marie
I'm sorry I don't!
Marie
this looks AMAZING! is that nutritional info for the whole recipe? do you think i would be able to use a cream based lasagne sauce instead? i don't eat tomatoes 🙁
Marie
The nutrition facts are for 3 rollatini 🙂 I think you could use a cream based sauce yes, but the taste and nutrition facts would be very different!
Jo
This is so easy to make, best to cut the egg plant length ways thinly. Recipe didn't say.
Definitely making again ????
Marie
Sorry about that, I just updated the recipe 🙂
Shirley
I made this tonight, but I laid the slices in the pan and made two layers rather than rolling them.
It was absolutely delicious and easy to make. I forgot to put the spinach in it, so served it as a side. Thank you so much. WONDERFUL!!!
Marie
Skinny Eggplant Lasagne then! Great idea Shirley 🙂 Happy to hear this recipe was a hit for you!
Donna
I used a cashew ricotta cheese just because I didn't have any on hand, which worked well. I also left them flat like a lasagna rather than rolled. We loved this dish and I will definitely make it again and perhaps roll it next time because that does look better. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Marie
Really happy to hear that Donna 🙂 And I love the sound of cashew ricotta cheese! Is it made entirely of cashews?
Donna
No, there are a few ingredients. The recipe is at simple-veganista.com
http://www.simple-veganista.com/2012/10/cashew-ricotta-cheese.html
Marie
Thanks for sharing!
Jeanne
I just made these and they were fantastic! The only thing I did differently was to use fresh raw spinach. I layed it on the eggplant after spreading the ricotta mix. Thank you for an easy yet delicous healthy recipe!
Marie
A few people have mentioned using fresh spinach and I love the idea. Will try it next time 🙂
Vicky Iliaens
Hi ! Ty for sharing this recipe first of all , now secondly I already made this recipe quite often LOL ! I've got a few other recipes with eggplants as well , but not totally meat free . I have been using bacon ( thin bacon only ! ) and that was just soooooo delicious ! really eggplant is a veggie that you can use in so many varieties of recipes but better is that this ' berry ' , as it is actually a berry is so healthy at the same time ! I'm having them all year round ! In summer I use them half , second half goes into freezer , already baked/cooked or just raw ! lovely eggplants !
Marie
I'm a big eggplant fan too! So glad to hear you love this recipe Vicky 🙂
Pam Barge
Had a bounty of eggplant from the garden. I cook for two. Made this; divided into several (about 2 1/2c) ramekins and froze. Great to have on an evening I might be alone with a yummy green salad, a generous glass of wine and, depending on how well our bathroom scale and I are getting along, a slice of homemade garlic bread. Also a good side to add to a spaghetti dinner to cut down on the amount of pasta we would otherwise consume. We both really enjoyed this and I'll make it again❤️
Marie
That sounds lovely Pam! Thank you 🙂
Lisa
I've made this dish numerous times and it is a favorite of mine. My husband and mother love it especially because it's 'skinny'. Today I'm making it for my mother and will deliver it tomorrow. I used fresh spinach because I had it. I took the extra eggplant (OK those that I cut too thin and the 'ends'), diced them and sauteed it in oil and garlic. I will use as a side tonight once I figure out the main dish -- LOL. I love quick, easy and delicious recipes.
Marie
That's so sweet of you Lisa to cook for your mother! And I'm super happy to know you're using my recipe for that 🙂 I hope you found that main idea hahah
Maryam
Made it! They didn't last that's how good it was!
Loved it as a substitute for pasta or lasagna
I flipped the eggplant over and baked for an extra 5 minutes but other than that same, great recipe, thank you 🙂 🙂
*****
Marie
Hey Maryam, so happy to hear you loved them 🙂 Thank you!
Ioana
Wow these eggplant rolls look fantastic. I bet they are delicious too. Can't wait to try it!!!
Marie
Thanks Ionoa! Hope you love them 🙂
Rita Boni
Olá, vou fazer a receita, amei a ideia. Preparo o molho de tomate temperando com tomilho e hortelã frescos. Fica divino.
Marie
Muito obrigado!
Nicole
This was absolutely lovely. I only had leftover cream cheese. And added basil to the mixture, i love spinach and basil together.
Sandra
Did you cook it and then freeze? or assemble then freeze and cook lol
Marie
I would freeze them and then cook, but if you had cooked leftovers you could freeze them as well (they might be a bit watery though, but nothing problematic)
William
Just made this recipe for my high school culinary final. It taste amazing and I am so happy I came across this recipe. Looking forward to how everyone enjoys it and even looking forward to making it again. Thank you for this amazing recipe! It is much appreciated!
Marie
This just made my day William, thanks for letting me know! And so glad you enjoyed this recipe!!
Sylvia
Absolutely delicious and so very easy to prepare. Thank you Marie, this one is a keeper!
Marie
You are so welcome, Sylvia! Happy you enjoy this dish as much as I do. Cheers
Felicity
This recipe has now become a weekly staple in my household. It's not only delicious right out of the oven, the leftovers are even more amazing because all the flavors have soaked into the eggplant. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Marie
Hi Felicity! Oh, you are SO RIGHT! I always make a big batch to make sure we have a whole bunch of leftovers. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Felicity
This has become a weekly staple in my household. And if you can manage to have leftovers, it's even more delicious the next day when all the flavors have soaked into the eggplant. Just this week, I made a bath of these, cooked it covered for the first 45 minutes, as instructed, then took it out, put it in the fridge (after cooling, of course), and reserved the last uncovered 15-20 minutes of cook-time for the next day. It was amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Maria Aparecida Malange Troise.
Desculpe-me não falo inglês. Poderia traduzir a receita? Ela está com uma aparência ótima e parece gostosa.
agradeço desde já.
Maria Aparecida. Sou de Sao Paulo - Brasil.
Marie
Hi there. You can paste it into google translate! I hope the recipe will make sense to you!
Giraldo
It is very easy to make this recipe! Thank you!I live in Cuba!
luckily we have eggplants!
Marie
So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your feedback!
E Colombo
Excellent recipe. Pretty quick to make and very tasty. I added some fresh mozzarella balls on top and after baking sprinkled with fresh slivered basil. Also since there is a huge quantity of sauce I used the remaining bottle of pizza sauce in the frig with a little added tomato sauce. Thanks for this recipe.
Marie
Oh I am so happy you liked it! Oh yes, that pizza sauce trick sounds like a great hack and certainly pushes the flavor even more towards the Mediterranean! Thanks so much for sharing.
Ginger
Looking forward to trying this recipe. I'm confused about one thing. Last paragraph says cook 45 with foil on, take off foil and cook 15 more minutes, then cook 10 more minutes? Thank you for your help with this.
Marie
Hi Ginger! Once you have removed the foil, you basically just bake it until you achieve the desired color. Once that happens, after about 15 minutes, remove it from the oven.
E Colombo
I have made this 3 times recently and it was a big hit every time! I did use pizza sauce , added some fresh mozzarella On top of regular mozzarella and slivered fresh basil or parsley on top after out of the oven.
Marie
Yum!! Thanks for sharing E 🙂
Christine McRandal
Has anyone tried this with Palmini?
Andrea A
Third time making this - didn't have frozen spinach so used fresh out of the bag - turned out just as great! Will continue making this!! Awesome recipe!
Marie
Thanks for sharing Andrea! So happy you keep coming back to this recipe 🙂
Angela Johnson
First time and it was a real hit will be making again.
Marie
Super happy to hear Angela, thank you 🙂