Eggplant Involtini

Yum; that's all  I have to say.   This recipe, adapted from Bev Cooks, is filling and hearty (Austin said he didn't even know there wasn't meat in it) and tastes so fresh.  It's a perfect summer dish!

Eggplant Involtini

Ingredients
1 eggplant, sliced thinly into 6-8 strips
2 tomatoes, cut into small pieces
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup ricotta cheese, skim milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 green pepper, diced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 egg
1 garlic clove, minced
Basil (fresh is preferable, I couldn't find any at the store, so I used freeze dried basil, and it worked perfectly!)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (my meal had mexican blend cheese)
Salt and Pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.  Use food processor to smooth fresh tomatoes.  Add diced tomatoes to food processor and continue to pulse.  Spoon about a cup of tomato sauce over the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish.

In batches, place slices of eggplant on a microwave safe dish and cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes, until pliable. Continue with the remaining slices.  After eggplant cooks, pat dry with paper towels.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, parmesan, egg, garlic, basil, green pepper, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl or cup. 

Spoon the ricotta mixture in the center of each eggplant slice. Sprinkle with basil. Roll slices up and place in the baking dish, seam side down.

Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the roll ups. Sprinkle with cheese- both shredded and some additional parm cheese

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Just retying the recipe is making my mouth water!

Serves 5, 6 points a serving.