Stuffed Eggplant Rolls Wrapped in Bacon

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Vegetables are a wonderful alternative to bread and pasta. One of my favorite veggies to use are eggplants because I find they are so versatile.

Rather than use pasta for things like lasagna and ravioli, many are now using thinly sliced vegetables. Another popular thing to do is wrap the slices around a filling similar to stuffed shells.

A few weeks ago, I asked a friend of mine to help me create a recipe for stuffed eggplant rolls. The inspiration for the recipe came from a post at Inside The Rustic Kitchen for eggplant roll-ups with spinach and ricotta.
There were a number of modifications made to the original eggplant rolls recipe. Bacon was added as a wrap and the filling was enhanced with ground meat, basil and other spices. And, rather than using the standard ricotta cheese, cream cheese was used in it’s place.

The addition of meat really makes the dish a filling meal. In fact, a single roll is really satisfying. So, this dish can serve a number of people.

This recipe yielded a total of 16 rolls. And, all the rolls fit into a single 9×13-inch baking pan. There was even enough room for two more stuffed eggplant rolls.

If you are looking for a more traditional stuffing, you can certainly use ricotta or cottage cheese in place of the cream cheese. However, I think the cream cheese goes well with the beef.

I really like the addition of bacon. Although you could leave it out, I think it really ups the flavor and keeps the eggplant slices moist with added fat during baking.

The stuffed eggplant rolls are topped with canned tomato sauce. No sweetener was added to the sauce, but you could add in a touch of stevia if you’d like.

Most commercial sauces do add a touch of sugar to enhance the flavor. But, I prefer not to add any sweetener. After years of following a low carb diet, I don’t care so much for sweetness.

Nothing is better than melted gooey cheese on top. In fact, it could just be the best part of the dish.

Rather than stick to just the traditional mozzarella cheese topping, a bit of cheddar is added. The cheddar adds in a little zing that is very subtle.

If you love Italian style dishes, you are going to love these yummy stuffed eggplant rolls. And, the recipe comes together easily. You can even make it ahead bake just before serving.

And, if you aren’t a fan of eggplant, you could sub in another vegetable. Zucchini or summer squash could be used as the wrap instead. I’ve use both of them in similar recipes.

But, if you are an eggplant lover like me, you’ll want to check out some of my other recipes using this fantastic garden veggie. Just take a look at the burger and parmesan recipes.

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You: Rate this recipe! Carbs Per Serving:42g Prep Time:20minutes Cook Time:40minutes Passive Time:30minutes Ingredients Print Recipe

• 3.75 pounds eggplant cut into 16 thin slices
• 16 pieces bacon about 400 Grams
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese freshly grated
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• salt &ground black pepper to taste
• fresh basil or parsley chopped for garnishing
• Tomato Sauce Mixture :
• 400 grams tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/8 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• Filling Mixture :
• 8 ounces bar cream cheese 227 Grams
• 3/4 cup fresh basil chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef 500 grams
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground sage

Servings: people Units:MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients Print Recipe 3.75 pounds eggplant cut into 16 thin slices 16 pieces bacon about 400 Grams 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese freshly grated 1/2 cup cheddar cheese salt &ground black pepper to taste fresh basil or parsley chopped for garnishing Tomato Sauce Mixture : 400 grams tomato sauce 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/8 teaspoon ground sage 1/8 teaspoon ground oregano 1/8 teaspoon thyme 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional Filling Mixture : 8 ounces bar cream cheese 227 Grams 3/4 cup fresh basil chopped 1 pound lean ground beef 500 grams 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/8 teaspoon ground sage Servings: people Units:MetricUS Imperial

Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Carbs Per Serving:42g Prep Time:20minutes Cook Time:40minutes Passive Time:30minutes

Instructions

1. Slice Eggplant to about ¼ inch per piece. Season with salt and let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes to drain some moisture. Opt to wash and pat dry the season with salt, pepper and sage. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes until soft in a preheated 400F oven.
2. In a slightly greased skillet, brown ground beef and season with onion and garlic powder. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, prepare tomato mixture. Combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ground sage, ground oregano, thyme and cayenne pepper for some heat.
4. In another bowl, mix softened cream cheese and fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked ground beef and mix well. Cream cheese placed at room temperature just before preparing the eggplant.
5. Time to assemble the bacon wrapped eggplant roll ups. Lay one slice of eggplant, add a spoonful fo the cream cheese filling, roll the eggplant and wrap in bacon. Do this to the remaining eggplant and bacon slices.
6. In a baking pan, spread half of the tomato mixture, arrange bacon wrapped eggplant roll ups side by side. Pour a spoonful of tomato mixture on top of each bacon wrapped eggplant roll ups. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and top generously with freshly grated mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake in the preheated oven at 400F for 25 minutes until the cheeses are melted. Add a few more minutes if you prefer for cheddar and mozzarella cheeses to be a little golden.

Recipe Notes

NET Carbs: 24

Leftovers can be reheated in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes.

Nutrition FactsStuffed Eggplant Rolls Wrapped in Bacon Amount Per Serving Calories 1394 Total Fat 95g Saturated Fat 30g Polyunsaturated Fat 6g Monounsaturated Fat 31g Cholesterol 309mg Sodium 3304mg Potassium 2549mg Total Carbohydrates 42g Dietary Fiber 18g Sugars 17g Protein 91g Vitamin A Vitamin C Calcium Iron * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.Diabetes Type 2 Tips
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