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Eggplant rolls with red pepper pesto

4
Points®
Total Time
21 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
6 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Jarred roasted red peppers replace nuts in this colorful new take on pesto. Using jarred peppers saves time and assures that the peppers are the right soft consistency for blending. If you have fresh bell peppers, grill or broil them until their skins are charred. Once blackened, place the warm peppers into a ziplock or paper bag to steam for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, so that their skins loosen and are easily removed. Dispose of the stems and seeds, too, and then blend as directed. These bright eggplant rolls also make for pretty party buffet or passed appetizers, cut into bite sized pieces and served room temperature, on toothpick skewers.

Ingredients

Roasted red peppers (packed in water)

½ cup(s), drained

Prosciutto

2 oz, finely chopped

Fresh basil

2 Tbsp, fresh, chopped

Garlic

1 clove(s), minced

Balsamic vinegar

2 tsp

Table salt

¼ tsp

Uncooked eggplant

½ pound(s), cut lengthwise into 8 slices

Fat free ricotta cheese

1½ cup(s)

Grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup(s)

Rosemary

2 tsp, fresh, chopped

Ground nutmeg

¼ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp, freshly ground

Fresh basil

8 leaf/leaves

Instructions

  1. To make the pesto, puree the peppers, chopped basil, garlic, vinegar, and salt in a food processor or blender. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl.
  2. Preheat the broiler. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Arrange the eggplant on the baking sheet in one layer and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Broil 4 inches from the heat until browned, about 3 minutes on each side.
  3. Combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan, prosciutto, rosemary, nutmeg, and pepper in a medium bowl.
  4. To assemble the rolls, place a basil leaf at one end of each eggplant slice and top with about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture. Beginning at the filled end, roll up the eggplant slices and place, seam-side down, on a serving plate. Serve with the pesto. Yields 2 rolls with 2 tablespoons pesto per serving.

Notes

You can save four of these eggplant rolls and half of the pesto to serve another day. Simply refrigerate them for up to three days and bring to room temperature before serving.To grill bell peppers, cut 1 or 2 peppers lengthwise in half and grill or broil until nicely charred. Pop them into a zip-close plastic bag to steam for 20 minutes, then slip off the skins and remove the stems and seeds. Store any unused peppers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

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