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Eggplant Stuffed Cannelloni

17/11/2023

Eggplant stuffed cannelloni are a delicious dish that blends the tradition of stuffed pasta with the intense flavor of eggplants. Here’s how to prepare them with an Italian twist.

Ingredients

  • 12 cannelloni (egg pasta ready to be stuffed)
  • 2 medium-sized eggplants
  • 300 g of tomato sauce
  • 200 g of ricotta cheese
  • 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 150 g of mozzarella (buffalo mozzarella is better)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Fresh basil to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Preparation

  1. Begin by washing the eggplants, removing the ends, and cutting them into small cubes. Place the cubes in a colander, sprinkle with a little salt, and let rest for about 30 minutes to lose their bitterness.

  2. Rinse the eggplant cubes to remove excess salt and dry them well. In a pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the garlic clove. Add the eggplant cubes and cook until they are golden brown and soft. Remove the garlic and set the eggplants aside to cool.

  3. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with half of the grated Parmesan cheese, add the cooked eggplants, and combine everything well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  4. Take a baking dish, pour in some tomato sauce, and spread it evenly over the bottom.

  5. Fill the cannelloni with the ricotta and eggplant mixture. Place them next to each other in the baking dish, on the tomato sauce.

  6. Cover the cannelloni with the remaining tomato sauce, add some basil leaves, and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese you set aside.

  7. Cut the mozzarella into cubes and distribute them over the cannelloni.

  8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 30 minutes, or until the cannelloni are cooked and the surface is gratinated and golden.

Curiosity

Cannelloni are a classic of Italian cuisine, and although it might seem like a modern preparation, the first traces can be found as early as 1837 in the cookbook of the famous Neapolitan chef Ippolito Cavalcanti. The variety of fillings is almost endless, and the eggplant and cheese combination is appreciated for its balance between the sweetness of the eggplants and the savoriness of the cheeses.

Eggplant Stuffed Cannelloni