Go Back

PASTA EGGPLANT INVOLTINI

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 250 grams pasta
  • 2 medium eggplants
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups pasta sauce (see notes)

Filling:

  • 200 grams spinach
  • 200 grams paneer, cubed
  • 4 green chillies
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and add to a large baking dish.
  • Mix the pasta sauce through the cooked pasta adding enough water to loosen. (Baking in the oven will dry out the pasta a bit so add enough water to make a loose sauce.) Adjust seasoning. Add more chilli flakes if required.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 C.
  • Slice the eggplant lengthwise into thin strips. You want about 12 slices in total. Toss with olive oil to coat all the slices evenly. Lay them out on a large baking tray without too many overlaps. Roast for 25-30 mins until nicely browned.
  • Add spinach leaves to boiling water and cook until just wilted, about 2 mins. Run the spinach under cold water to cool it down completely. Squeeze out all the excess water from the spinach with your hands.
  • Add the spinach, paneer, green chillies and salt to a blender jar and pulse to get a coarse mixture.
  • Divide the filling evenly between the eggplant slices. Lay the filling on one side of the eggplant slice and form them into rolls.
  • Top the pasta with the eggplant rolls. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 mins. Serve immediately.

Notes

I used my versatile roasted red pepper & tomato cashew sauce here. This recipe makes a double batch. Use half the amount of the thick sauce and add enough water to get about 2 cups’ worth.
Alternatively, a basic tomato sauce would also work in this recipe.