Deliciously Organic

Organic, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Paleo Recipes and Thyroid Health

Eggplant Involtini

Eggplant Involtini. Don't be intimidated by the name. It's a fancy title for eggplant rolled around gooey cheese and baked.

We’re over halfway through the challenge! How are you doing? Are you finding it gets easier as you go? I feel so good that I don’t know if I want to eat grain after the challenge is over. The kids have adapted nicely and honestly I don’t even think they’ve noticed I haven’t been serving grain. I do miss the occasional corn chip and salsa, but I figure I can enjoy that in moderation soon.

I’ve found that I like food as it should be and I don’t want to pretend that something is something it’s not. For instance, I’m not going to use spaghetti squash and tell everyone it’s pasta. It’s not. It’s spaghetti squash. The other night Pete was at a meeting, the girls were at a birthday party and I was craving pizza. Instead of pizza I roasted a large portabello mushroom until most of the juices came out, topped it with marinara, covered it with shredded cheese and baked it until bubbly. I thought about writing up the recipe for a mock version of pizza. Then I remembered, it was a mushroom. Not pizza. I’m saying all this in jest. I know there are hundreds of recipes out there for mock versions of the original, but I figure I’m going to say it like it is and not pretend we’re eating grains right now.

Eggplant Involtini. Don't be intimidated by the name. It's a fancy title for eggplant rolled around gooey cheese and baked.

Here are a few tips for you as we continue our grain-free journey together:
1. Stock up on produce.
2. Plan your meals and especially your snacks.
3. Make chicken stock. Soups will fill you up and keep you out of the cookie jar.
4. Buy lots of eggs. Frittatas, omelettes, scrambled, poached. So many possibilities!
5. If you need something sweet a square of good semisweet chocolate is an easy grain-free option.
6. I’ve said it before, but my favorite resource for vegetable recipes is Perfect Vegetables. There are hundreds of ideas for new ways to cook vegetables.

Eggplant Involtini. Don't be intimidated by the name. It's a fancy title for eggplant rolled around gooey cheese and baked.

Eggplant Involtini. Don’t be intimidated by the name. It’s a fancy title for eggplant rolled around gooey cheese and baked. Cook’s Illustrated recommends salting your eggplant before cooking to draw out the bitterness and I always take their advice. So I salted the eggplant, roasted it and then rolled it in a mixture of cheese. If you’re so inclined, I encourage you to make your own ricotta cheese. It’s very simple, costs just as much as a good ricotta in the store and the best part is it doesn’t contain any preservatives or additives. You can even make it a day or two ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until ready to use. My husband raved over this dish so I made it two days in a row. I’m not sure he would have been as excited if I’d told him they were “enchiladas.”

Serves 4

Eggplant Involtini
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Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch thick oblong slices (cut from pole to pole)
  • Celtic sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons clarified butter or ghee
  • 1 1/2 cups ricotta (here's a great homemade recipe )
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 1/4 cup shredded basil leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups marinara ( recipe found here )

Instructions

  1. Lay eggplant on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Flip the eggplant and season second side with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. If you're going to make homemade ricotta then go ahead and make it now.
  2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and adjust rack to middle position. Pat eggplant pieces dry. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay eggplant on top. Brush each piece of eggplant with the clarified butter. Roast in the oven for 12 minutes. Flip each piece and then roast for an additional 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
  3. Place ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino and basil in a medium bowl. Stir until combined. Set out an 11 x 7-inch baking dish and pour 1/2 cup of marinara in the bottom. Spread it out with a spoon so it covers the bottom of the dish. Take a piece of eggplant and place a couple tablespoons of cheese mixture at one end. Roll eggplant around cheese and place in dish seam side down. Repeat with remaining eggplant and cheese. Pour remaining 1 cup marinara over the top of the eggplant. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.
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https://deliciouslyorganic.net/eggplant-involtini-recipe-grain-free-challenge-day-17/

 

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43 Comments

  5. Karen

    September 26, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    YUM! Once again you have outdone yourself. I can't wait to try this one. Yesterday I made a huge pot of my "famous" Chicken Tortilla Soup (minus the tortillas), topped it with avocada, sour cream and cheese and it was still just as good. I munched some more for luch today, very filling.:o) I'm not missing the grains at all. My husband hasn't even noticed yet.
    Reply to this comment

  8. Brooke @ Food Woolf

    September 26, 2011 at 5:16 pm

    This looks so good. And it's really, really fun to say involtini, so I'm totally going to make this dish. Regardless of whether or not I'm eliminating grains from my diet. Thanks for the recipe!
    Reply to this comment

  12. Jill

    September 27, 2011 at 5:24 am

    I agree 100% with not passing off food as something it isn't. If it's not grains, it's NOT GRAINS! Enjoy it for what it IS. I have been mostly grain free for the past few years, but I joined a gym and their signature diet had me eating them every day. I started having serious stomach problems, which they swore was not the diet. They favored artificial sweeteners (BIG red flag!), absolutely NO sodium, everything was "artificial" something or other. That's called "making the food behave." They couldn't understand why a small serving of a whole food was more satisfying to me than a plateful of chemicals. I lasted about two weeks on it.
    Reply to this comment

  13. jenny

    September 27, 2011 at 9:03 am

    Carrie, This looks like another wonderful recipe. I made your meatball recipe you posted a few day ago. I was a hit! It will be added to our collection to have on a regular basis. I served it with a salad and had homemade whole wheat bread for those in the family that think they can't go without it. I don't know if I'll stay completely grain free, but I will try to be mindful of how much I am consuming. Dinners seem to be easy for me to go grain free, but breakfast and lunch are much harder. I would love some simple options for those meals! Thanks so much for all your work. I have your cookbook and it is wonderful! (especially the chocolate chip cookies : )
    Reply to this comment

  16. Jennifer M.

    September 27, 2011 at 4:02 pm

    Your blog is absolutely beautiful! I am especially interested in your grain-free challenge. I have been feeling sluggish lately (and can't seem to lose weight), so I think going grain-free might help. Thanks for all the tips. And I was wondering, what kind of camera do use to take all these gorgeous photos?
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      September 28, 2011 at 5:56 am

      I'm so glad you found me too! Going grain-free this month has definitely given me more energy (and the weight loss has been super nice!). After you get the hang of it, it's not as hard as it sounds. I hope you'll give it a try! I use a Canon Rebel xti. I usually use the 50mm 1.4 lens with lots of good light! :)
      Reply to this comment

  21. Mary

    October 6, 2011 at 10:34 am

    I made this Sunday night and finished the last of the leftovers at lunch today. Normally, eating the same thing for lunch 4 days in a row is less than appealing but this was a pleasure! Thanks for the rx!
    Reply to this comment

  25. Emily

    March 8, 2013 at 10:13 am

    I made this last night and my husband and I LOVED it! He's not even typically a fan of eggplant or ricotta but I had a feeling this would win him over. It was delicious and very satisfying - we didn't miss the breadcrumbs at all (in comparing this to eggplant parm). I added some garlic, pepper and dried herbs to the cheese mixture for some extra punch.Question for you -- how do you get nice even slices with your eggplant? I used our mandolin but even with the thickest setting the slices were a little too thin and browned too much in the roasting stage. If I can't cut them thicker next time I'll probably just decrease the oven temp and cooking time slightly, no biggie.
    Reply to this comment

  27. Jill

    February 4, 2017 at 9:11 pm

    This is an oldie that popped up on my pinterest, but it looks very good. I will use almond cheese instead though. I agree...it does not work for me to pretend veggies are something else. Zoodles are fine, but they are not pasta. I could add that I am also weary of everyone repeatedly saying ' eat a little dark chocolate' for cravings. I don't really love chocolate. It's not the answer for many of us. I know. How can someone not want chocolate! Sacrilege! Well my hubby is with you on that at least.
    Reply to this comment

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  5. [...] Eggplant Involtini Carrie from Deliciously Organic shows you how to make this classic and hearty dish using fresh ingredients that will please every palate attending your next bash. Don’t be afraid to pair these with a red… and definitely go Italian with this one! Something like the 2008 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco, Baby Barolo from Piedmont, Italy we taste at Casablanca on the Harvard Square Tour. [...]
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