Here we are with a new recipe with eggplant: the grilled eggplant rolls with ricotta cream are easy, quick and delicious! Perfect as a tasty appetizer, as I served my guests a few days ago, or as a rich and indulgent side dish for meat or fish dishes. The ricotta cream will win you over: it is fragrant, delicate and super creamy, perfect as a tasty filling for these grilled eggplant rolls.
A simple recipe that requires only a few minutes of preparation and cooking. In the end, we will only have to grill the eggplants using a cast iron grill pan, the type that sits on the stove commonly called Dietella, since it needs little oil to cook the vegetables. Or you could use an electric grill, or if we will also prepare meat, we could grill the eggplants on the barbecue.
We will prepare the ricotta cream using a rubber spatula, so we won’t even dirty the electric mixer, while still obtaining a tasty, aromatic and perfectly creamy filling for today’s grilled eggplant rolls.
I previously shared the grilled eggplants with Greek sauce, a quick and easy side dish perfect for a summer dinner. On the blog you’ll also find fried eggplant and tuna patties. Then there are mini pizzas with eggplant, tomato and cheese, one of my favorite recipes. Not to be missed are also the meat-filled eggplant tacos or eggplant boats (stuffed eggplants). In short, many easy, quick and delicious recipes to try.
Eggplants are in season from mid-May until early October, so we have plenty of time to create dishes with this colorful and versatile ingredient. Don’t forget also the grilled eggplant parmigiana with salmon or the baked eggplant cutlets.
Since I discovered eggplants, more or less 5 years ago (I didn’t eat them at all before), I have made many recipes that are now among my favorites. Learning at 35 that eggplants are good was a nice achievement. I don’t know if you know that every year I set myself a goal: to eat something I previously would not even look at. This is both to broaden my culinary horizons and because I promised myself during my first trip to Kenya, when I experienced firsthand the hunger that many African populations live with.
From that first trip I learned that I like chickpeas, as well as artichokes, eggplants, peas and many others. From that moment on, every year a new ingredient becomes part of my diet and, of course, later of my recipes.
Below you will find direct links to other eggplant recipes available on my blog. Each link will take you directly to the recipe you choose to read. I remind you that I wait for you every day in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day! A must-see appointment for the whole community to start the day with a sweet or savory treat.
Now let’s move on to the recipe for grilled eggplant rolls with ricotta cream!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Grill
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn, Spring, Summer
- Energy 83.21 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 6.31 (g) of which sugars 2.79 (g)
- Proteins 5.08 (g)
- Fat 4.59 (g) of which saturated 2.58 (g)of which unsaturated 1.36 (g)
- Fibers 2.45 (g)
- Sodium 141.68 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 115 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for four servings of grilled eggplant rolls with ricotta cream
- 2 black oval eggplants (medium-large)
- 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch paprika
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste parsley
If you can’t find black oval eggplants, you can use round eggplants. You will just need to be careful when slicing so you can get as many slices as possible.
Tools to prepare the grilled eggplant rolls with ricotta cream
- 1 Grill
- 1 Mandoline
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Rubber spatula
- 1 Teaspoon
- 1 Tongs
- 2 Plates
I listed the Dietella grill among the useful tools to prepare this recipe. As written above, you can use an electric grill or grill the eggplants on the barbecue.
Steps for the grilled eggplant rolls with ricotta cream
Let’s begin the preparation of the eggplant rolls starting with the eggplants. Take the oval eggplants, wash them and then slice them into many fairly thin slices using the mandoline. Please, use the finger guard because these tools cut—and they cut a lot: don’t take unnecessary risks.
Turn on the stovetop to medium-low flame and place the Dietella pan on it to grill the eggplant slices as you prepare them. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper while cooking. Use tongs to turn the eggplants many times for even cooking. As they cook, place them on one or two plates to cool completely before proceeding. Allow about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the ricotta cream.
Take a bowl, pour in the ricotta, add a teaspoon of mustard. Sprinkle with paprika, a pinch of salt and pepper and work the cream with a rubber spatula.
Once the cream is ready, proceed to assemble the grilled eggplant rolls. Lay the eggplant slices spaced apart so it’s easy to work. With a teaspoon, distribute the ricotta cream and roll gently. I chose not to use toothpicks, because if the ricotta is well distributed it will help keep the rolls closed.
Arrange the rolls on a plate as you finish. Once done, gently crumble the parsley with your hands and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil before serving.
I can only wish you enjoy your meal and remind you that I wait for you every day on my cooking blog with many easy, quick and delicious recipes like this one!
Tips and variations:
Tips for preparing the grilled eggplant rolls: as already mentioned, try to cut the slices as thin as possible, using the mandoline or a similar tool. Avoid using a knife which can make the slices irregular. If the ricotta you chose is too soft and rather liquid than creamy, you can add a little potato starch to thicken it. The grilling of the eggplants is very important to make this ingredient easily digestible.
Recipe variations: if you don’t want to use paprika to flavor the ricotta cream, you can use curry. If you don’t have mustard, or if you don’t like it, you can use ketchup or barbecue sauce to give an extra touch to the filling of the eggplant rolls.
