⅓cupminced fresh mintor 1 teaspoon dried; you can also substitute oregano
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspooncoarsely ground black pepper
2Roma tomatoeschopped very small
¼cupParmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheeseshredded—leave out for vegan
½cuppine nuts
1 ½cupsprepared Red Saucepasta sauce or spaghetti sauce
1cuptoasted bread crumbsuse gluten free breadcrumbs for gluten free recipe
Instructions
Brush the eggplant slices with a little olive oil and grill them on a panini grill for about 8-10 minutes until they are soft and have nice grill lines on them. (Other options are to grill them on an outdoor grill or bake them in the oven at 450F degrees for about 15 minutes.)
Set them aside to cool.
Mix the spices, pine nuts, tomatoes and Parmesan cheese in a bowl.
Spread a couple of tablespoons of the mixture along the length of each eggplant slice, and then roll the slices into small bundles.
Secure the bundles with a toothpick.
Spread ½ cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 12-inch by 9-inch casserole dish.
Place the eggplant bundles in single rows in the dish and spread the remaining sauce evenly over the top.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Uncover, sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese over the top, if desired, and bake for 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top just before serving.