These vegan eggplant rollatinis are inspired from the classical Italian recipe that uses ricotta and other cheeses and eggs. However, I’ve replaced it with silken tofu and walnuts and a bit of vital wheat gluten for better texture and extra protein
I’ve tasted one of the best eggplant rollatinis in Rome few years ago before I went vegan and I really wanted to recreate the same taste and I think I’ve succeeded. I always say that being vegan doesn’t mean that you you should give up your favorite dishes you just need to get a bit creative
By the way, you can use vegan cheese on top of the eggplants and put it in the oven util it is all cooked and the cheese melts or you can skip that part, but I personally love cheese and basil with these rollatinis.
Here is my version of the recipe for vegan eggplant rollatinis:
Ingredients:
– 2 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise into slices
– A block of silken tofu (350 grams)
– 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
-1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
-1/2 cup of walnuts
– 2 cloves garlic
– 1 tsp dried basil
– 1 tsp paprika
– Salt and pepper to taste
Tomato sauce:
This can be made using fresh tomatoes or tomato paste. Simply lightly fry 2-3 crushed cloves of garlic in extra virgin olive oil and add the tomato paste of chopped tomatoes.
Instructions for Eggplant Rollatinis:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. You can either grill or bake the eggplants. I’ve grilled it but if you decide to bake just arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway, until softened and lightly browned.
3. In the food processor add the silken tofu, nutritional yeast, walnuts, vital wheat gluten and the spices. Blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Spread the tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
5. Place about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling onto the end of each eggplant slice. Carefully roll up and place them in the prepared baking dish.
6. You can either bake this dish in a tomato sauce or you can add vegan cheese on top if you desire. I personally love melted cheese so I added a good amount of vegan cheese.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving