Eggplant Rolls with Bell Pepper Sauce

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Description

This is a vegetarian, Greek-style recipe for eggplant rolls filled with mozzarella and tomato and served with bell pepper sauce. Ideal as a starter for a vegetarian dinner party.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, minced
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggplant, sliced lengthwise into strips
1 (6 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, cubed
2 firm red tomatoes, finely cubed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or to taste

Directions

1 Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Cook and stir onion until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add bell peppers and reduce heat to low. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Pour in vegetable broth. Cook and stir for 10 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Quickly brown eggplant slices - they should be tender enough to roll easily, but not so tender they break apart.
3 Transfer cooked red bell pepper mixture to the bowl of a food processor; pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
4 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
5 Combine mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and basil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
6 Lay eggplant slices on a sheet of parchment paper. Spoon a little of the cheese mixture onto 1 end of an eggplant slice and roll up. Place eggplant roll in a casserole dish. Repeat with remaining eggplant and cheese mixture.
7 Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Serve with warm bell pepper sauce.