Giuseppe Giustolisi
Basic and fast Sicilian summer recipe with all the flavors all of eggplants from the garden. Serve immediately or left gratin in the oven, the eggplant rolls are a simple but tasty idea with for a delicious Mediterranean dish.
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Involtini di Melanzane: Sicilian Eggplant Rolls
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Eggplant rolls filled with fresh tomato, basil, and cheese – a classic Sicilian summer recipe that comes together in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 320 g 11 oz spaghetti (Italian spaghetti, made with durum wheat)
- 2 eggplants (aubergines)
- Extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
- 500 g 17 oz tomato pulp
- Sea salt (to taste)
- A sprig of fresh basil
- Grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (to taste (or grated vegan cheese))
Instructions
- Wash, cut the eggplants and let them soak in salted water for 30 minutes.?Dry the eggplant and fry.
- Cook the tomato pulp in a pan with salt. At the end of cooking, add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and two or three basil leaves.
- Cook the spaghetti, al dente, in boiling salted water.
- Place the pasta inside the eggplants and wrap. Season with 1 tablespoon tomato pulp and grated cheese.
- Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Cuisine: Italian
Did you know that Sicilians roll their fried eggplant around spaghetti? Yup. Spaghetti, cooked al dente, then wrapped up in a thin slice of eggplant, dressed with tomato sauce and eaten hot with grated cheese over the top. If you have only ever had the ricotta kind in an Italian restaurant back home, this is a very different and very happy surprise.
Involtini di melanzane is what they are called, and involtini just means little bundles. It is summer food, made when the eggplants are at their peak, and it is just wonderful.
Salting the eggplant kicks this recipe off. Sliced thin and left in salted water for thirty minutes, the slices give up their water and most of their bitterness, and they fry soft and flexible instead of spongy. Make sure to dry them properly before they go in the oil or they will spit at you.
The sauce is really plain, which in true Sicilian style is on purpose. Use the best tomato pulp you can find, cook it down with salt, then add two or three spoons of very good olive oil and a few basil leaves stirred in at the end, and nothing more. Sprinkle your favorite Grana Padano or Parmigiano over the top, as much as you want.
Serve them straight away while the eggplant is still warm and the pasta inside is still soft. Or line them up in a dish and give them ten minutes in a hot oven until the cheese browns. Either works great!
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of cheese works best for the filling in Simple Eggplant Rolls?
The filling here is cooked spaghetti tossed with tomato sauce, not cheese — grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano (or a vegan alternative) is sprinkled on top to taste before serving.
How do I prepare the eggplant before rolling it?
Slice the eggplant thinly, salt it, and let it sit for about 30 minutes to draw out moisture and bitterness, then rinse and pat dry before filling.
Can I use fresh basil instead of dried basil in the filling?
Yes — fresh basil is what’s used here, not dried. A few basil leaves get added to the tomato sauce; there’s no cheese filling to mix it into, since the eggplant is rolled around spaghetti instead.
