A delicious creamy cheesy mixture of feta, cooked spinach, and salty briny olives filled and rolled inside of a meaty eggplant slice topped with a smokey sweet roasted red pepper sauce and baked for the perfect vegetarian dish.
Spinach Feta & Olive Eggplant Rollatini with Fire Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
Units
Scale
SAUCE
- 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 12 oz jar fire-roasted red peppers
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup red onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- 10–12 fresh mint leaves
- 4–5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
FILLING
- 5 oz whole milk ricotta
- 1 – 8 oz block feta
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 pitted olives, finely chopped
- 10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 4–5 cups baby spinach, sauteed and water squeezed
2 large eggplant, 1/4 inch thick slices, about 16-20
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
Instructions
- To make the sauce start with a large pot, over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- After about 30 seconds of heating the oil, add in the smashed garlic and diced onion and bring the heat to medium low.
- Add the salt and pepper, stir occasionally and cook the onion until softened about 12 or so minutes
- Once the onion is cooked but not overly brown add in the tomatoes, pepper, herbs, and spice to simmer over low heat with a lid to cover for about 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes before removing the thyme stems. Then to a blender, add the sauce and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
- Next, preheat the oven to 400 F and grease a very large baking sheet with olive oil then add all the eggplant slices to the tray
- Bake the eggplant for about 5-6 minutes or until the edges just barely start to brown
- While the eggplant is cooking and then cooling after par-baking, prep the filling.
- To a bowl take a fork to the feta and crumble as fine as possible then stir in the ricotta, egg, herbs, olives, and spinach
- To a 9×9 deep dish baking pan, add about 1/2 cup to a 3/4 of sauce to cover the bottom
- Then take each slightly cooled eggplant slice, dolloping about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling at the wider side then roll. Repeat until you’re out of filling and eggplant and place into the prepped pan with the sauce.
- Add another cup or so of sauce on top then sprinkle with the parmesan on top
- Bake the rollatini for 16-20 minutes or until it is bubbling and golden brown on top (if it’s a rolling bubble with little golden brown on top then it may need to be placed underneath the broiler but watch VERY closely!)
- Let the rollatini cool for about 5 or so minutes before serving, enjoy
