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Juicy Roasted Eggplant with Cheese and Herbs

This amazing stuffed eggplant recipe is best served at room temperature. You can make it ahead if you want to, and store it in the refrigerator, but let it come to room temperature before you serve it. It would be nice chilled but letting it warm up slightly means the cheese will be a better texture and the flavors will be more intense.

The garlic in this recipe needs to be blanched, which means you should put the garlic clove in a pot of boiling water and cook it for a couple of minutes. Take it out of the water and rinse it under cold water to cool it down. This takes the garlic's sharp flavor away. The sharpness of garlic is great in some dishes but not so much in recipes with cheese because it can overwhelm the more subtle cheese flavors.

Eggplant is a versatile ingredient and it goes well with many other flavors. Cheese and tomato go especially well with this vegetable and you can serve eggplant in a sauce, in rolled slices or as part of a stew or curry recipe. In the following recipe the eggplant slices are roasted to make them pliable and juicy and then filled.

How to Make Stuffed Eggplant Slices

Ingredients -

2 eggplants
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
Black pepper
Finely chopped walnuts, for garnish (optional)

For the Stuffing:

⅓ cup feta cheese
⅓ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
½ teaspoon minced fresh oregano
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 tomato, in 12 wedges
12 fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, blanched then finely minced

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice both ends off the eggplants and cut a narrow slice off each side.

Cut each eggplant into 6 slices of ¼ inch thickness.

Put them on a lightly greased baking sheet and brush some olive oil over both sides.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on to the eggplant slices and roast them for about 6 minutes per side or until they are tender and golden brown.

Let them cool on a platter or cutting board.

Combine the cheeses with the garlic and herbs in a bowl, and then add salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the cheese mixture between the eggplant slices and add a sprig of parsley and a wedge of tomato to each one.

Roll the slices up and put them seam side down on a serving platter.

Drizzle some olive oil over them and sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the top. Serve at room temperature.

(Makes 12)

Wine Suggestion:

Which Wine Goes with Roasted Eggplant

The bright earthiness of a Pinot Noir would complement this stuffed eggplant rolls recipe perfectly. The lightness of a Pinot Noir means it will complement the cheese and the more delicate aspects of this dish such as the herbs and eggplant flavor, without overwhelming the flavor of the dish itself.

Roasted Eggplant

Photo Description:

As you can see from the picture, this makes an impressive appetizer or side dish. Eggplant is a versatile ingredient and features in recipes as diverse as Greek moussaka, Indian curries, and even easy appetizer recipes like this one. This is a colorful and appealing dish and it is also nutritionally balanced and healthy. A slightly chilled Pinot Noir would be amazing with the creamy, rich feta and ricotta flavors of this dish. Use plenty of fresh parsley for an attractive presentation.