Eggplant Roll-Ups

My mom has got eggplant in her garden, so I found another way to cook eggplant. This is a Rachael Ray recipe, but I tried to cut back on the olive oil a little by using olive oil spray instead. These were super yummy. Oh, and I even used my mom's homemade pesto for these. :) We had these with roasted okra, also from Mom's garden - so basically, our whole meal came from the garden! Awesome! Remember, it's Meatless Monday!

1 large eggplant (about 1 3/4 pounds), cut lengthwise into 8 slices
salt/pepper
4 large eggs 
1/2 c pesto 
2 c Panko bread crumbs 
olive oil spray
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 
1/3 c grated pecorino-romano cheese 
1 c marinara sauce
  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and 2 tablespoons pesto. Pour the bread crumbs onto a large plate. Dip each eggplant slice into the egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumbs. 

In a large nonstick skillet, spray olive oil generously over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the eggplant until golden, 2 minutes on each side, spraying olive oil between each batch. Transfer the eggplant to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. 

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta and 3 tablespoons pecorino-romano; season with salt and pepper. Add in remaining pesto and stir. Top each eggplant slice with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Roll up each slice, and use a toothpick to hold. Bake until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a toothpick, about 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer. Serve the roll-ups with the sauce and remaining pecorino.

Original recipe found here.