Vegan Eggplant Rollatini

This Vegan Eggplant Rollatini is the perfect weeknight dinner. Easy and quick to make, this healthy dish will have your family scrambling for leftovers!

Who doesn't love easy and healthy dinners Italian dinners? I feel like when I think of Italian cuisine, at least Americanized Italian cuisine, I think of heavy and rich sauces and pasta. What I don't normally think of, is light and healthy dishes that are quick and easy to make. This eggplant rollatini is all of that and more. Rollatini is an Italian-American dish known as ‘rollatini di melanzane. Think of it almost like vegan eggplant parmesan, just different. Or, a vegan eggplant roll up with spinach and ricotta. All of these share similarities and they all have similar ingredients.

The rollatini is a dish prepared in the New World by Italian immigrants. Traditionally Italians prefer to use pounded veal meat when making this dish but the poorer immigrants created the rollatini recipes with the cheaper eggplant which was versatile enough to replace the expensive meat. 

The term rollatini is not standard Italian either and might have come from the Italian communities who were trying to learn English. The rollatini recipes are believed to have been brought out on Fridays when the staunch Catholics observed a meatless day.

Traditionally, the only ingredients needed to make this recipe are tomato sauce, eggplant, and ricotta, however, we sauced it up a bit over here to give it a little more wow factor.

For other great Italian dishes, check out these Vegan Stuffed Shells, or this Tuscan Inspired Barley and Spinach Soup.

Ingredients

The ingredients in this recipe are easy to find and cheap, this is the perfect budget meal!

• Jarred red sauce (I used Trader Joe's Vegan Bolognese, however, any jarred marinara will do!)
• Spinach
• Eggplant
• Pesto
• Firm Tofu
• Nutritional Yeast
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder

Please see the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC).

Slice the eggplants into ¼ inch slices and lay them out on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Season generously with salt and allow to sit for 20 minutes.

Allowing the eggplant to sit with the salt helps to draw the water out so it will not get soggy as you handle it.

After drying, blot the moisture away with a paper towel, and bake for 20 minutes or until soft.

While the eggplant is in the oven, in a food processor combine the tofu, spices, nutritional yeast, pesto, and spinach and pulse until combined. The mixture will resemble ricotta cheese. For me, I pulsed about 20-25 times to get the desired result.

Remove eggplant slices from the oven and turn oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the vegan ricotta onto the eggplant slice then roll it up, repeating for all slices.

In an 11x17-inch baking pan, pour ½ of the jarred red sauce, then add all the roll-ups seam down. Pour the remaining ½ of the jarred sauce on top.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the eggplant rollatini is warmed through.

Hint: If crunched for time, you can buy store-bought vegan ricotta, however, I prefer to make my own so I know exactly what is going into it.

Substitutions

Can this dish be made keto-friendly?

Sure! Eggplant is keto-friendly, just make sure to use a compliant marinara sauce such as this one. The vegan ricotta can be made keto-friendly by leaving out the pesto which would be higher in carbs due to having a nut base.

Can this dish be made Gluten-Free?

Of course! This dish is already gluten-free with the ingredients that it is used, however, if using premade ingredients such as pasta sauce, always check the label to make sure there are no hidden gluten ingredients.

Can this dish be made Whole 30?

This dish can be made Whole 30. Make sure to use a compliant red sauce and for the vegan ricotta, try making a delicious Almond ricotta instead of using tofu.

Variations

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes to the ricotta mixture to spice up the heat!
• Deluxe - top with some extra added pesto when serving to give it even more flavor.
• Low-Sodium- omit the added salt from the ricotta mixture

Check out this other delicious Italian recipe here!

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. I use baking dishes that are similar to these and this is the food processor that I use. I recommend them all!

Storage

Store the leftovers in an airtight container, they should keep for up to three days.

To freeze this dish, before the final bake, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and tin foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

Top tip

Make sure to bake the eggplant before attempting to roll. The reason for par-baking the eggplant is to get it soft enough that it doesn't break when attempting to roll.

Vegan Eggplant Rollatini

kaydimaggio

This Vegan Eggplant Rollatini is the perfect weeknight dinner. Easy and quick to make, this healthy dish will have your family scrambling for leftovers! 

5 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs 6 mins

Total Time 55 mins

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 482 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 36 ounces Jarred red sauce I used Trader Joe's Vegan Bolognese, however, any jarred marinara will do!
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
• 2 large eggplants
• ½ cup vegan pesto
• 1 package Firm Tofu
• 3 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Onion Powder
• 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
• Slice the eggplants into ¼ inch slices and lay them out on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Season generously with salt and allow to sit for 20 minutes.
• Allowing the eggplant to sit with the salt helps to draw the water out so it will not get soggy as you handle it.
• After drying, blot the moisture away with a paper towel, and bake for 20 minutes or until soft.
• While the eggplant is in the oven, in a food processor combine the tofu, spices, nutritional yeast, pesto, and spinach and pulse until combined. The mixture will resemble ricotta cheese. For me, I pulsed about 20-25 times to get the desired result.
• Remove eggplant slices from the oven and turn oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the vegan ricotta onto the eggplant slice then roll it up, repeating for all slices.
• In an 11x17-inch baking pan, pour ½ of the jarred red sauce, then add all the roll-ups seam down. Pour the remaining ½ of the jarred sauce on top.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until the eggplant rollatini is warmed through.

Notes

Keto option

Sure! Eggplant is keto-friendly, just make sure to use a compliant marinara sauce such as this one. The vegan ricotta can be made keto-friendly by leaving out the pesto which would be higher in carbs due to having a nut base.

Gluten-Free Option

Of course! This dish is already gluten-free with the ingredients that it is used, however, if using premade ingredients such as pasta sauce, always check the label to make sure there are no hidden gluten ingredients.

Whole 30 Option

This dish can be made Whole 30. Make sure to use a compliant red sauce and for the vegan ricotta, try making a delicious Almond ricotta instead of using tofu.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 482kcalCarbohydrates: 60.4gProtein: 16.1gFat: 21.7gSaturated Fat: 4.5gSodium: 1837mgFiber: 19.4gSugar: 34.1g

Keyword entree, Vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.