Vegan Eggplant rolls

Ingredients

FOR THE EGGPLANT

• 1-2* eggplants sliced in 8 half inch pieces

• olive oil

• salt & pepper to taste

FOR THE FILLING

• 1 head cauliflower

• 3 cloves garlic peeled

• 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil

• 5-6 large basil leaves

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1/4 cup plain hummus

• 2 tbsp vegan parmesan

• 2 cups baby spinach chopped

• 1/2 lemon juiced

• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

• salt & pepper to taste

FOR THE CASSEROLE

• 3-4 cups marinara

• vegan parmesan for topping

• fresh parsley or basil for topping

Instructions

FOR THE EGGPLANT

1 Slice eggplant into eight 1/2" slices. Season with salt and pepper.

2 Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.

3 Working in batches, grill eggplant until there are gill marks on both sides and eggplant begins to soften. Add additional oil to the pan between batches if needed.

4 Set eggplant aside. 

FOR THE FILLING

1. Cut cauliflower into florets and place in a food processor. Blend until cauliflower is the size of rice. Add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and basil to the food processor and pulse until combined.

2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cauliflower mixture to the pan.

3. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add hummus, vegan parmesan, baby spinach, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to the pan and stir to combine.

4. Saute for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until everything is thoroughly combined, cauliflower is softened and spinach is wilted.

5. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
   

FOR THE CASSEROLE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pour marinara into the bottom of a baking dish and spread evenly.

3. Top each eggplant slice with 2-4 tablespoons of filling (depending on how wide the slice is).

4. Roll eggplant slices up and place in the baking dish on top of the marinara sauce. 

5. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes - or until everything is warmed through.

6. Remove from the oven and top with vegan parmesan and parsley (or basil).

7. Plate eggplant with marinara and serve.
   

Recipe Notes

*If you want 8 uniform large pieces, you will want to use 2 eggplants. If you are ok with 4 of the slices being on the smaller side (like I did), use 1 eggplant 

*in my picture I served the eggplant on butternut squash purée, it was delicious as the tomatoes sauce, just steamed the butternut until completely soft, I used a fork to mash it up and a drizzle of olive oil and salt.