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Eggplant Stuffed Shells

August 16, 2015 By Rachel 27 Comments

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Eggplant Stuffed Shells – This family-friendly recipe combines the flavors of two amazing Italian favorites, but it’s naturally lighter and still bursting with cheesy goodness!

This amazing, lightened-up Italian dish combines the flavors of eggplant parmesan and stuffed shells. This recipe is one of our favorites because it's naturally lighter, yet still BURSTING with cheesy goodness!

In the area where I live there is a thriving Italian American community, so all kinds of saucy goodness are in ample supply.

As a visiting nurse I have the privilege of spending time in many of the homes in my community with people from all different ethnic backgrounds, and I’ve come to love some of the Italian traditions and values that help to shape my hometown. Things like the importance of family, speaking your mind, and giving lots of good food to people you like.

A couple of my favorite classic dishes are stuffed shells and eggplant parmesan. Today’s recipe for Eggplant Stuffed Shells, also known as eggplant rollatini, is a combination of those two recipes.

Both are traditionally pretty heavy with the pasta in the stuffed shells and the breaded and deep fried eggplant in the eggplant parmesan. By combining them I ended up with a lighter dish without sacrificing a bit of stretchy, cheesy goodness or flavor.

Italian Eggplant

Part of the secret to this dish is having amazing ingredients. I got both my eggplant and marinara from my friendly neighborhood CSA.

The eggplant was fresh and firm (not always easy to find at the grocery store), and the marinara was thick and pasty with intense flavor despite having no sugar added.

For my cheese, I purchased fresh parmesan and I got a low-moisture mozzarella, which is super stretchy when it melts.

My Favorite Marinara Sauce

To create eggplant stuffed shells, you simply make them like traditional stuffed shells, except that you substitute the pasta with eggplant that has been softened by lightly cooking it on a skillet. This means less carbs and calories, plus it will help you get your 7-a-day of fruits and vegetables!

This amazing, lightened-up Italian dish combines the flavors of eggplant parmesan and stuffed shells. This recipe is one of our favorites because it's naturally lighter, yet still BURSTING with cheesy goodness!

After your dish is assembled, simply pop it into the oven, pour a glass of wine, and relax until it’s bubbling and all of the cheese is melted.

This dish does well if you prep it in advance. Like eggplant parmesan it will hold up in the freezer, so for the busy cook it’s great for making in big batches and stocking up for later.

This amazing, lightened-up Italian dish combines the flavors of eggplant parmesan and stuffed shells. This recipe is one of our favorites because it's naturally lighter, yet still BURSTING with cheesy goodness!

After you’re done lazily sipping on wine and relaxing while your dinner bakes, you’re sure to have some bubbling, saucy, stretchy cheese-adorned eggplant.

This amazing, lightened-up Italian dish combines the flavors of eggplant parmesan and stuffed shells. This recipe is one of our favorites because it's naturally lighter, yet still BURSTING with cheesy goodness!

This amazing, lightened-up Italian dish combines the flavors of eggplant parmesan and stuffed shells. This recipe is one of our favorites because it's naturally lighter, yet still BURSTING with cheesy goodness!

This amazing, lightened-up Italian dish combines the flavors of eggplant parmesan and stuffed shells. This recipe is one of our favorites because it's naturally lighter, yet still BURSTING with cheesy goodness!

Eggplant Stuffed Shells
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
35 mins
Total time
50 mins
 
Eggplant Stuffed Shells, aka eggplant rollatini, combines two amazing, but heavy, Italian favorites. It's naturally lighter yet still bursting with flavor and cheesy goodness!
Author: Rachel Hanawalt
Recipe type: Entrees
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
Eggplant Shells
  • 2-3 eggplants cut ¼" thick lengthwise to make 12 slices
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 12 oz jar no sugar added thick tomato sauce
  • ½ C shredded part skim low-moisture mozzarella
Cheese Filling
  • 1 15 oz container part skim ricotta
  • ½ C shredded part skim low-moisture mozzarella
  • ½ cup shredded fresh parmesan
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
  2. Cut the eggplant into 12 lengthwise slices, about ¼" thick.
  3. Lightly brush the eggplant slices evenly on both sides with olive oil. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the eggplant for 1 to 2 minutes on each sides until it begins to soften, and then set aside to cool.
  4. While the eggplant slices are cooling, stir together all of the ingredients for the cheese filling in a medium mixing bowl.
  5. Pour 1 12 oz jar of tomato sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. I selected the thickest sauce I could find as eggplant tends to release some water, and I didn't want to end up with a water sauce after baking.
  6. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling in the middle of each cooled eggplant slice and roll the ends together to form a "noodle" like a manicotti shell.
  7. Arrange the stuffed eggplant in your casserole dish on top of the marinara. Finally sprinkle with ½ C of mozzarella.
  8. Bake at 375ºF for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the dish is bubbling and heated all the way through. Allow it to sit 3-5 minutes before serving.
3.5.3251

eggplant stuffed shells nutrition facts

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eggplant stuffed shells

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Filed Under: Aubergine (Eggplant), Casserole, Entrees, Gluten-Free, Italian, Recipes, Summer, Vegetarian Tagged With: Casserole, Eggplant, Freezer-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Italian, Low Carb, Marinara, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Rollatini, Stuffed Shells, Vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says

    August 17, 2015 at 12:04 pm

    WOWED these look amazing. I have never thought to make eggplant ‘shells’. LOVE! Found your blog on the inspire me Monday link party. Love your layout and great photos!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      August 18, 2015 at 11:04 pm

      I love link parties! Thanks for the compliments! I’ll be sure to head over to your blog!

      Reply
  2. Deb@ Cooking on the Front Burner says

    August 17, 2015 at 9:40 pm

    My husband loves eggplant – what a great recipe!!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      August 18, 2015 at 11:08 pm

      Thanks Deb!

      Reply
  3. adina says

    August 18, 2015 at 3:45 am

    Oh, I love these. I make something similar, a recipe I got while on holiday in Sicily. Instead of mozzarella they used processed cheese slices. I actually never buy this kind of cheese except for this particular aubergine recipe. Heaven!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      August 18, 2015 at 11:09 pm

      It’s such a simple recipe, but so good! Sicily must have been an amazing holiday!

      Reply
  4. Emily @Sinful Nutrition says

    August 18, 2015 at 6:19 pm

    Love the idea of eggplant shells. I’ve seen eggplant lasagna, but never thought of shells before!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      August 18, 2015 at 11:18 pm

      Thanks Emily. The eggplant doesn’t make it taste like I was trying to lighten-up the dish one bit!

      Reply
  5. Nicole says

    August 19, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    Nice idea and looks scrumptious, but out of curiosity, are you aware of the term/recipe called Eggplant Rollatini? Basically the same thing!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      August 19, 2015 at 9:40 pm

      Completely unaware! Thanks for the feedback Nicole. I’ll add rollatini to my tags, which will make it easier for people to find!

      Reply
  6. Becky Winkler (A Calculated Whisk) says

    August 28, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    This is gorgeous and sounds so delicious. Who needs shells when you have eggplant?!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      August 28, 2015 at 6:09 pm

      That’s true! Thanks Becky!

      Reply
  7. Gail Egburtson says

    October 8, 2015 at 1:26 pm

    Looks fantastic and this recipe is a diabetics dream !! I never would have thought to use eggplant for stuffed shells … Brilliant !!

    Reply
  8. Kavipriya Moorthy says

    February 21, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    This is great. Can you also help me with an alternative for the cheese stuffing? something healthier?

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      February 21, 2016 at 3:16 pm

      Sure! I sometimes substitute ricotta with a package of tofu that I run through a food processor until it becomes similar in texture as ricotta. I then add a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp granulated garlic, and 1/4 tsp dried basil to give it a cheesy Italian flavor. You don’t get that stretchy cheese factor, but it’s quite good and it’s a healthy protein source. I hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Jeannie says

    March 11, 2016 at 8:07 pm

    What brand of sauce do you use ? It all like looks so good!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      April 7, 2016 at 9:56 pm

      It’s amazing! It’s made by a farm near my how from their own tomatoes.

      Reply

Trackbacks

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    January 4, 2016 at 9:00 pm

    […] craving?! Try Simple Seasonal’s Eggplant Stuffed Shells… they look full of tomato cheesy […]

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    April 24, 2016 at 4:11 pm

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  3. 13 Ways To Make Your Favorite Casserole Recipes Even Better | Best Memes says:
    July 14, 2016 at 5:23 pm

    […] Simply slice the egg plant, brown it a bit in a skillet (so it’s flexible enough to actually act like pasta and doesn’t get soggy), and use it like you would lasagne noodles. Get the recipe for these Eggplant Stuffed Shells here. […]

    Reply
  4. 13 Smart Ways To Improve On Any Classic Casserole Recipe – NewsBlog says:
    July 15, 2016 at 1:19 pm

    […] Simply slice the egg plant, brown it a bit in a skillet (so it’s flexible enough to actually act adore pasta and doesn’t Get hold of soggy), and usage it adore you would certainly lasagne noodles. Get hold of the recipe for these Eggplant Stuffed Shells here. […]

    Reply
  5. 13 Smart Ways To Improve Any Classic Casserole Recipe – NewsBlog says:
    July 15, 2016 at 3:08 pm

    […] Simply slice the egg plant, brown it a bit in a skillet (so it’s flexible enough to actually act enjoy pasta and doesn’t Grab soggy), and usage it enjoy you would certainly lasagne noodles. Grab the recipe for these Eggplant Stuffed Shells here. […]

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  6. 13 Ways To Make Your Favorite Casserole Recipes Even Better – Viraltor says:
    July 16, 2016 at 3:52 am

    […] Simply slice the egg plant, brown it a bit in a skillet (so it’s flexible enough to actually act like pasta and doesn’t get soggy), and use it like you would lasagne noodles. Get the recipe for these Eggplant Stuffed Shells here. […]

    Reply
  7. 15 Healthy Italian Recipes - My Life and Kids says:
    September 30, 2016 at 10:45 pm

    […] Eggplant Stuffed Shells –  – Eggplant Stuffed Shells – Love traditional Italian recipes like stuffed shells and eggplant parmesan, but hate how heavy they are? Try this lighter, low-carb, easy to make, and vegetarian-friendly combination of the two dishes that features summer eggplant, marinara sauce, and all the cheesy goodness of parmesan, ricotta, and mozzarella. […]

    Reply
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    May 26, 2017 at 8:44 am

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Hi, I'm Rachel! Welcome to Simple Seasonal, a resource for simple, healthful, and delicious recipes that help you make the most of seasonal produce from your local farmer's market, CSA, or home garden. Simple Seasonal is committed to a whole foods diet. With an occasional cookie... ;)


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