Tasty @CafeOn Eggplant Roll Ups Recipe

A light, easy and fresh dinner – Mediterranean Vegan Eggplant Roll Ups. A combination of seasoned cauliflower rice rolled up in grilled eggplant over marinara. This meal is perfect if you are craving something pasta-ish, but want to lighten it up.

Ingredients

FOR THE EGGPLANT

• 1-2* eggplants sliced in 8 half inch pieces
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

READY THE FILLING

• 1 head cauliflower
• 3 cloves garlic peeled
• 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 5-6 large basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ cup plain hummus
• 2 tablespoon vegan parmesan
• 2 cups baby spinach chopped
• ½ lemon juiced
• 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt & pepper to taste

FOR CASSEROLE

• 3-4 cups marinara
• Vegan parmesan for topping
• Fresh parsley or basil for topping

Instructions

FOR EGGPLANT

1. Slice eggplant into eight ½” slices. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.
3. Working in batches, grill eggplant until there are gill marks on both sides and eggplant begins to soften. Add additional oil to the pan between batches if needed.
4. Set eggplant aside. 

MAKE FILLING

1. Cut cauliflower into florets and place in a food processor. Blend until cauliflower is the size of rice. Add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and basil to the food processor and pulse until combined.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cauliflower mixture to the pan.
3. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add hummus, vegan parmesan, baby spinach, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to the pan and stir to combine.
4. Sauté for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until everything is thoroughly combined, cauliflower is softened and spinach is wilted.

      5.  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

FOR CASSEROLE

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour marinara into the bottom of a baking dish and spread evenly.
3. Top each eggplant slice with 2-4 tablespoons of filling (depending on how wide the slice is).
4. Roll eggplant slices up and place in the baking dish on top of the marinara sauce. 
5. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes – or until everything is warmed through.
6. Remove from the oven and top with vegan parmesan and parsley (or basil).
7. Plate eggplant with marinara and serve.

Notes

*If you want 8 uniform large pieces, you will want to use 2 eggplants. If you are ok with 4 of the slices being on the smaller side (like I did), use 1 eggplant.