Lemony Eggplant Rollatini

I know it's been a long time since I've written anything.  After my accident I found it hard to get back into the swing of things at home.  But I'm back and I have a lot of creative dishes to share with you.  The Husband has gone back to eating some meats so I may even through in a recipe for pork chops or steak every once in a while!  My first dish I want to share with you is a yummy Rollatini dish.  It's surprisingly easy to make and delicious to eat!

 I started with:
2 Medium Eggplants
2-4 Minced Cloves Garlic
1 Diced Medium Onion
6 Skinned and Chopped Plum Tomatoes (like I did here)
1 1/2 Cups Ricotta Cheese (preferably Homemade!)
Zest from 1 Lemon
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
3 Tbsp Chopped Basil

Start by carefully slicing the eggplant into 1/2 inch strips.  You can peal them before hand to help reduce some bitterness from the skins, but I didn't bother today.  Lightly coat each slice with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes.  Turning over half way.

Meanwhile, heat a Tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the garlic. 

Once the garlic begins to cook and become fragrant, add the onion and saute until it starts to turn translucent.

Make sure not to let the garlic burn!

Add the tomatoes

 While the tomatoes reduce you can begin making the filling for your rollatini!  Add the Ricotta and Parmesan cheeses to a bowl with 2 tablespoons basil and the lemon zest.   Mix thoroughly and add salt and pepper to taste.  You may want to add the lemon zest in small additions until you feel it has the flavor you're looking for!

 Once the eggplant is soft, you can start filling it.

Add about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture to each slice of eggplant.  Begin rolling from the filled side upward to create the Rollatini shape.

Place on a plate, seam down so they don't unroll.

 Once the tomatoes have softened and their juice has reduced, add the left over tablespoon of basil to the sauce. 

 Top the rollatini with sauce and some fresh Parmesan cheese and enjoy with a side salad.

 Instead of assembling the left overs I decided to create a casserole of them.  I added a layer of cheese to the bottom of my Pyrex dish followed by a layer of diced eggplant and another layer of cheese.  I finished it off with the last of the sauce. 

It made for a great lunch the next day!