If you enjoy eggplant parmesan, then eggplant involtini is a dish you’d most likely enjoy 

The eggplant involtini is an Italian dish that is made from thinly sliced eggplants which are then rolled over a filling. 

Stuffed with ricotta, the rolled eggplant slices are also dressed with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and then baked in an oven 

But if you’re not familiar with this dish, it’s perhaps because this dish is popularly known by another name rollatini 

Eggplant involtini or rollatini

In Italy, this dish is known as involtini di melanzane which means eggplant involtini. Outside of Italy, it is known as Rollatini.

In this US, rollatini is popularly used to refer to the dish.  

Rollatini isn’t a real Italian word but an Americanized version of the name. 

In this post, we learn more about this dish and how it is made. 

What is involtini?

Involtini is an Italian word that means “little rolls” in English 

This dish is a traditional Italian dish that could be made either from meat or vegetables. It also consists of a filling of ricotta cheese. 

Originally, this dish was made using leftover ingredients.

In this dish, the thin slices of meats and vegetables are rolled around a filling.

You can make involtini with beef, chicken or vegetables such as eggplants.

How eggplant involtini is made

Eggplant involtini also referred to as rollatini is a dish consisting of cooked eggplant slices which are rolled around a ricotta filling. 

Large to medium sized eggplants are selected for this dish.

The eggplants are thinly sliced in such a way that they have just enough length to roll around the filling.

They are also salted to help draw moisture from the vegetable.

The sliced eggplants are dressed with olive oil and fried to become soft. These slices can also be baked or roasted  

Eggplants can also be breaded before they are fried 

The filling typically for this dish typically consists of ricotta cheese, it may also include lemon, breadcrumbs and herbs like parsley.

The eggplants can also be stuffed with onions, 

Once the cooked eggplants slices are rolled over the filling, the slices are held together using toothpicks or even strings.

The next step involves placing the eggplants on a baking pan.

Tomato sauce and cheese are spread at the base of the pan, in between the eggplant slices, and it also goes on top of the dish 

Parmesan cheese can also be sprinkled over the rolled eggplants.

The dish can also be seasoned with garlic, basil, salt, and grounf pepper 

All these ingredients are cooked in the oven until the eggplants are browned and the cheese melted over the eggplant 

This dish can be served as an appetizer. It could also be used as a side dish or eaten alongside pasta. 

Eggplant parm vs involtini

Eggplant rollatini is quite similar to eggplant parmesan; a baked dish that also uses cooked eggplant slices  

The steps in preparing both of these dishes are similar. The eggplant slices are laid down on a baking pan together with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

However, in eggplant rollatini, the cooked slices of eggplants are rolled around a filling of Ricotta and herbs