Description
Learn how to make a vegan eggplant rollatini with this simple and delicious recipe. Thinly sliced eggplant is stuffed with homemade vegan ricotta cheese, smothered in a homemade marinara sauce, and topped with vegan mozzarella cheese. It’s ready in about an hour and makes for a perfect meal any night of the week.
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants
- 2 tablespoons salt (to sweat the eggplant)
- 2 (28 oz.) cans peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 medium onion, diced (optional)
- 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, julienned (measured after sliced)
- 1 recipe vegan ricotta cheese* (see notes)
- 1/2 to 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese shreds, or as desired* (see notes for an oil-free option)
- Vegan parmesan cheese, to garnish
Instructions
- Remove the ends off of the eggplant and discard. Using a mandolin, slice the eggplant lengthwise into between 1/8 and 1/16-inch thick slices. If you don’ have a mandolin, do your best to slice the eggplant evenly and thin enough to roll without being too stiff…but a mandolin works best! Lay the eggplant out on a cooling rack (or on a rimmed baking sheet line or in the inside of a large colander) and generously sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of salt. Allow the eggplant to sit and release liquid for 15-20 minutes. Use a towel to blot the eggplants dry and remove any extra moisture.
- As the eggplant salts, prepare the sauce: In a large pan over medium heat, add in the olive oil. Once warmed, add in the garlic, onion (if using), red pepper flakes. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add in the canned tomatoes (with juice), and gently break them apart using either a wooden spoon or a potato masher. Be careful as they may splatter. Add in all of the oregano mix until uniform. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Allow this mixture to cook, stirring once or twice, for 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Stir in the basil and allow the mixture to cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and seat aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and have a casserole dish of your choice ready. A roughly 13 x 9-inch rimmed baking dish works well for this.
- Spread about 1/2 cup of marinara sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish.
- Place a 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized scoop of the vegan ricotta cheese onto the large end of the eggplant slice and roll it up tightly, being sure to stuff in any stuffing that falls out.
- Place the eggplant rollatini into the baking dish, seam side down, and then continue with all of the remaining eggplant slices. Evenly distribute about 2/3 of the tomato sauce on top of the eggplant rollatini. We did not use all of the sauce but feel free to add as much as you want!
- Generously sprinkle the top of the dish with vegan mozzarella cheese, as desired. Place into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and the eggplant is soft.
- Remove from oven and let stand for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Serve with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Notes
- We did not use onions in this recipe but you can add them as desired and noted in the ingredients!
- The vegan ricotta cheese can be prepared without oil if desired. We suggest just adding a few tablespoons of additional water into the ricotta in case it is crumbly.
- You can prepare our homemade cashew mozzarella cheese sauce for this recipe instead of using store bought cheese shreds for a truly oil-free recipe. We just suggest skipping the step of cooking it on the stovetop and pouring it over after blending.
- This recipe is also great served between two slices of toasted bread to make a sandwich!
- This recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen for suture meals. Just be sure to freeze the recipe after it has cooked and completely cooled and in an airtight/freezer safe container for up to two months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan, Italian
