Eggplant with Lemon Zest Ricotta Recipe

The holidays are here!  I can't believe Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is knocking at my door.  It snowed, a lot, today.  My older kids were so excited to put on their snow suits and play in the white fluffy stuff.  My oldest loves to build castles, forts, and other structures.  The trouble is, that she usually insists on building them in my driveway...not the most convenient spot if you ask me.

My oldest building driveway obstructions.

My middle child eating snow and playing with our snow beast.

My family doing a turkey trot Thanksgiving morning.

Now back to the subject at hand...food!  Not just food, but really super good food.  I found this tasty delight here and boy am I glad I did!  I have whipped up this dish twice and I love the flavor combo.  To try and save a few calories I decided to roast the Eggplant rather than fry it.  My kids weren't thrilled with the Eggplant skin so the second time I made the dish I cut off the skin.  Give it a try when you have an eggplant or two just hanging around.

You will need Panko Bread Crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, Lemon, Marinara, Thyme, Eggplant, Ricotta Cheese, and a Mandolin slicer.  You could probably get by without the Mandolin...but it sure makes things easy.

This recipe takes a little prep to try and extract the liquid in the Eggplant but it is so worth it!

The filling is so lemony and delightful.  I could probably just eat it with a spoon.

I used jarred Marinara but you could make your own to up the awesome.

Enjoy!!

Eggplant with lemon Zest Ricotta Recipe
Source:  Alexandra's Kitchen

1 Eggplant
Salt
Marinara Sauce
1/2 C Panko Bread Crumbs
1 C Ricotta Cheese
1 Lemon, all the Zest and 1/2 the Juice
1 tsp Thyme
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the Eggplant thinly lengthwise with a Mandolin slicer.  Sprinkle both sides with a bit of salt and let sit in a colander over a sink for about 30 minutes.  This will draw out excess moisture and help them to roast up nicely.  Use a paper towel to get off moisture and excess salt.  Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a little olive oil.  I used my Misto and gave them a light spraying.  Roast for about 20 minutes, or until they are tender.  Check at 15 minutes because they go from good to crispy pretty quickly.  Allow them to cool.

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

In a Bowl mix together the Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice, Ricotta Cheese, Panko Bread Crumbs, Thyme, and a bit of Salt & Pepper.  Lightly cover the bottom of a baking dish with Marinara Sauce.  Place a Heaping spoonful of the Ricotta mixture on one end of the Eggplant and roll it up.  Place seam side down in the baking dish.  Top with More Marinara and a good sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!