Yes, the rumor is true. I did eat 6 of these all by my lonesome when testing the recipe. Now in the interest of full disclosure, I ate 3 for breakfast (was a late breakfast, more like brunch) and 3 for lunch (was a late lunch, more like linner). And yes you may have heard that I also fried up some extra eggplant to snack on in between. And while some people may be embarrassed to admit this I think it just proves how much of a winner this recipe really is. So hang on to your hats folks and watch me fry and roll and bake your new favorite Passover and year-round brunch, lunch, linner or dinner dish.
Thin eggplant is breaded and fried and wrapped around a yummy creamy filling.
Eggplant Roll Ups With Cream Cheese and Spinach
Servings
8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1-1/2 cups matzo meal
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- vegetable oil for frying
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
- 8 ounces 1 package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
- 1 cup 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
Instructions
- Slice eggplant lengthwise into sixteen thin (1/8-inch thick) slices. Place the eggs in a shallow bowl and beat with the water. In another shallow bowl, combine matzo meal, garlic, parsley, oregano and pepper. Dip the eggplant slices in the eggs, coating the entire surface. Press the egg-coated slices into the matzo mixture, coating the entire surface.
- Heat about 1/8-inch of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Fry the coated eggplant slices in batches for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Add more vegetable oil as needed to keep the eggplant slices from sticking to the pan.
- To make the filling, combine the spinach, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley and egg in a large bowl. Mix to blend the ingredients thoroughly and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Spoon one cup of marinara sauce into an ungreased 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish. Place equal amounts of the filling on the wider end of each eggplant slice. Carefully roll up each slice and place the rolls seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the remaining Marinara sauce on top. Cover the pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Tip: if you don’t have homemade marinara sauce, you may use one 26-ounce jar marinara sauce.
I think so. I would baked them at 450 for about 10 minutes, maybe flip them and cook another 5 if needed. I would also spray the bottom of the pan with cooking spray and the top of the eggplant as well. Let me know how it turns out.
Would it work to bake the eggplant slices (before filling them) instead of frying them? If so, how would you recommend doing so in terms of temperature and length of baking? Thank you!
I just made this dish for Passover for my vegetarian brother. He loved it. So did I. I followed your advice to bake, rather than fry, the eggplant slices. It worked beautifully. I baked the finished dish without putting marinara on the bottom of the pan in order to keep them crisper. I topped the rolls with marinara and Parmesan. Mmmm!
I froze these for one month. They were great!
Can I freeze this? Looks delicious for anytime!