Paneer Eggplant Rolls-Ups

• porciones: 4 servings
• tiempo activo: 26 minutes
• tiempo total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredientes

2 medium eggplants (around 786 grams)

1 teaspoon oil

4-5 large garlic cloves (chopped)

250 grams spinach (I have used baby spinach)

250 grams paneer (crumbled, fresh paneer preferred, made from 1 & 1/2 liter milk)

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoons chopped basil

2 cups crushed tomatoes (canned/bottled, I used one with no added sugar or salt)

1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

1 tablespoon butter (salted)

1/2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste, if using crushed tomatoes with salt, you might not need any salt)

2 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon kasuri methi (crushed)

Instrucciones

Prepare the eggplant slices

Slice each eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices lengthwise. From one medium eggplant, you would get 6 to 7 slices each.

Arrange the eggplant slices on a board and add salt generously over them. Flip and sprinkle on the other side too. Let the eggplants sit for 15 minutes, this is called "sweating" the eggplant. They will release moisture and this will prevent them getting too soggy in the oven.

After 15 minutes, you will notice that the eggplant slices have released moisture. Pat dry each eggplant slice from each side using a paper towel. Arrange them on a lightly greased baking sheet, spray with a little oil and bake at 400 F degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Make the paneer spinach filling

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add chopped garlic and sauté few seconds and then add spinach to it (I used baby spinach). The leaves will start wilting as you stir.

Cook the spinach for around 8 to 10 minutes until the moisture from the spinach really dries out. Then remove pan from heat and squeeze as much remaining water as you can from the spinach by squeezing it with your hands. Then chop this spinach and set aside.

To make the filling, take a large bowl and to that add crumbled paneer (I use fresh paneer), prepared chopped spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, garam masala and chopped basil. Stir with a spatula and mix until everything is well combined.

Make the spiced sauce

To a pan on medium heat, add 2 cups of crushed tomatoes along with cardamom powder, garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, butter, tomato paste, cream, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, kasuri methi and 2 tablespoons water. Stir until everything is well combined and the sauce is heated through.The crushed tomatoes that I used had no added sugar or salt, if yours have added sugar and salt then adjust the amounts here accordingly.

Fill and roll the eggplants

Take one of the baked eggplant slices and place it on a flat surface. Take 1 heaping tablespoon full of the paneer and spinach mixture and place it over the broad end of the eggplant slice.

Roll the slice until you reach the other end and seal it. Fill and roll all the eggplant slices in the same way.

Layer and bake

Take a rectangular baking pan (I have used 12 x 9 inch dish) and add 3/4 cup the prepared sauce at the bottom of the pan. Spread it around the pan using a spatula.

Then place the prepared eggplant roll ups over the sauce, I could place 12 rolls into the pan. Top the rolls with the remaining sauce. And then with fresh mozzarella cheese.

Cover with a large sheet of aluminum foil and bake at 400 F degrees for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 10 minutes until the cheese is nicely melted. You can also broil for a minute or two if you want to brown the cheese a little. Top with fresh basil, let sit for 5 minutes and then serve.

Nutrición

• Calorías: 348 kcal
• Grasa Total: 22 g
• Grasa Saturada: 12 g
• Grasa No Saturada: 3 g
• Grasa Trans: 0.1 g
• Colesterol: 53 mg
• Sodio: 708 mg
• Carbohidratos Totales: 28 g
• Fibra Dietética: 11 g
• Azúcares Totales: 15 g
• Proteína: 15 g