Eggplant Rolls Stuffed with Ricotta and Herbs with homemade tomato sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Brush the vegetables generously with the olive oil and sprinkle the salt and black pepper on top.

   Pastry brush
3. 3
   Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer, without crowding.

   Baking pan
4. 4
   Roast the vegetables in a hot oven (220°C / 430°F) 8–10 minutes, on the top rack of the oven, until the slices brown.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.

To assemble

1. 5
   Let the eggplant slices cool a little.
2. 6
   In a bowl, mix the ricotta, cheese, garlic, basil and parsley for the filling.

   Bowl
3. 7
   Place a spoonful of the filling at the end of each eggplant slice and roll it up.

   Spoon / teaspoon (regular)

   💡An eggplant slice that hasn't fully softened cracks when rolled: roast it until soft and pliable, and roll it while it's lukewarm.
4. 8
   In a bowl, mix the tomatoes with the salt. Don't cook it: the sauce cooks on the pizza in the oven.

   StoveSmall saucepan

   💡Spread cooled sauce on pizza: hot sauce softens the dough even before baking.

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
5. 9
   Arrange the rolls seam side down in a baking dish and spoon a little tomato sauce over each roll.

   Baking pan
6. 10
   Bake at 220°C (430°F) 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.