Stuffed Eggplant Rolls Wrapped in Bacon
Ingredients:
3.75 pounds eggplant cut into 16 thin slices
16 pieces no sugar bacon pre-cooked
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 :
1 3/4 cup 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
3/4 cup fresh basil (chopped)
1 pound lean ground beef
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon ground sage
Directions:
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.
In a slightly greased skillet, brown ground beef and season with onion and garlic powder. Set aside.
In a bowl, prepare tomato mixture. Combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ground sage, ground oregano, thyme and cayenne pepper for some heat.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Servings: 16 (1 roll per serving)
Nutritional Information: Calories: 236, Fat: 18g, Carbohydrates: 10g, Fiber: 4g, Protein: 11g
