Gratinated oven-baked grilled eggplant rolls with cooked ham and cheese, an eggplant recipe that is easy, quick and delicious, perfect when these vegetables are in season — as good as savory baked eggplants or Mediterranean-style eggplant rolls or even my famous Grilled Eggplant Salad.

As soon as spring is at the door, here in Sicily the first summer vegetables begin to appear at the greengrocer’s stall and I can’t resist buying them. I deeply suffer through winter—a season that wears me down mentally and physically—and the first mild rays of mid-February and the slightly longer days already project me toward the coming spring and the longed-for summer. For this reason I start mid-month to focus on summer recipes, which honestly I would make all year round, and I especially enjoy creating the most delightful eggplant recipes.

This eggplant roll recipe with ham and cheese is a light and tasty recipe, and provided you don’t eat them all by yourself it’s perfect to welcome the beautiful season about to arrive.

A very simple and flavorful recipe that already brings us to summer and its lovely days and that will win everyone over! Let’s go to the kitchen: I’ll tell you how to make it, but first remember that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Gratinated oven-baked grilled eggplant rolls

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 3
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

2 large eggplants
5.3 oz cooked ham
5.3 oz provola or other melting cheese
0.7 oz Parmesan (grated (about 3 tbsp))
to taste breadcrumbs
to taste extra virgin olive oil

Tools

Grill or cast-iron griddle
Baking dish (or baking sheet)
Oven

Steps

To grill the eggplants, slice them just under 1 cm thick (about 3/8 inch). Heat a cast-iron grill and cook the slices on both sides until soft, season lightly with salt and transfer to a plate. Be careful not to tear the slices while cooking.
Lay the slices out on a work surface, fill them with ham and cheese and roll them up tightly to form cylinders.
Brush the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and place the rolls inside, packed closely together.
Sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan, add more breadcrumbs and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Bake for 10–15 minutes at 356°F, remove from the oven as soon as they reach the desired golden color and serve hot and melty.
Here’s a tip: if the grilled eggplants seem dry after cooking (this can happen depending on the variety), place them on a flat plate, cover with another plate and microwave for 10 minutes at 750 W. Let them rest and you’ll see they will be cohesive and soft.
If you liked this recipe, also check out these eggplant recipes:
– Pizzaiola-Style Eggplant Rolls;
– Light and Delicious Baked Caponata;
– Fried Eggplants: My Method;
– Sweet-and-Sour Pepper Stew (no frying);
– Fried Eggplant Parmigiana: My Recipe;
– Eggplant Parmigiana (No Fry);