Eggplant and Zucchini Rollatini with Greens

This takes eggplant rollatini to a new level! I started with this recipe and of course made a bunch of modifications.

Ingredients:

You can make this with eggplant, zucchini, or summer squash. I made both because I ended up with extra filling. 

• 2 medium eggplants
• 1 large zucchini or summer squash
• kosher salt
• olive oil

The filling:

• 1 big bunch chard or beet greens, washed and stemmed
• 2 eggs
• 1 16-oz container ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• about 3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
• 1 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella, drained and thinly sliced

Directions:

If you are going to broil your vegetables, preheat your broiler. If you prefer grilling them, as I do, fire up the grill!

Preheat your oven to 350.

To prepare the eggplant or zucchini:

1. Trim the ends of your eggplant and zucchini and slice thin lengthwise to about 1/4 inch thickness.

2. In as many layers as needed, place your eggplant slices in colanders and sprinkle with kosher salt on each layer. Put the colander over a plate or bowl or tray to catch any drippings. Let it stand about 30 minutes. 

3. Rinse slices and pat dry with clean dish towels or paper towels. Pat your zucchini slices dry, too.

4. Brush your slices with olive oil and either broil on a tray in single layers on parchment paper or grill the vegetables. I prefer grilling the vegetables. Put the oiled side down on a medium-heat grill and let cook until it starts to get soft. Oil the other side with a long-handled brush and flip over to grill the other side. When the vegetables are soft enough to bend easily they are done! 

For the filling:

1. Boil a pot of water and add a pinch of salt. Add your chard or beet greens to the water and boil for about 2 minutes. Remove and rinse with cold water. When it's cool enough to handle, squeeze out all the extra liquid so it's fairly dry. Chop up into smaller pieces.

2.  In a bowl, whisk eggs with a pinch of salt. Add in your chopped greens, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of parmesan, your chopped fresh mint and some pepper.

3. Brush some olive oil in the bottom of a large glass dish (a "lasagne" dish) and a small 8x8 or 9x9 square dish.

4. Cover the bottom of the dish with some sauce.

5. Lay your eggplant and zucchini slices flat and put about 1 Tbs of filling on one end of each slice. Roll it up and put it in the baking dish with the seam down.

6. Cover the rolls with more sauce until covered.

7. Places slices of fresh mozzarella over the entire dish and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.

8. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake until the cheese starts to brown and it's all bubbly!