A Guide to Making Eggplant Roll-ups: Quick and Easy Tips

What’s gluten-free, vegan, low-sugar, low-carb and super cheap when it’s in season?

Eggplant! Plus, there are dozens of different species of them.

Eggplant is a tremendously versatile vegetable. In addition to being an easy-to-cook low-carbohydrate veggie with only about 5 grams of carbohydrate per serving, eggplant is highly antioxidant: it has anti-cancer, antimicrobial and anti-viral properties and has been shown to reduce cholesterol. Eggplant has a glycemic index of 15, which makes it a low-GI food. This mans it doesn’t drastically change blood sugar and insulin levels, as many grain-based foods do. Particularly if you’re looking to follow a refined carbohydrate-reduced diet, this veggie can be a huge help.

For this reason, one of my favorite uses for eggplant is as a substitute for bread, flatbread and wraps. Its fibrous texture makes it the perfect tool to roll up other ingredients and because it has a mild, often maskable flavor, it pairs well with a variety of other tastes. Sliced thinly and roasted, eggplant becomes a terrific container for many dishes: hors d’oeuvres like these Stuffed Mushrooms, wraps, tea sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas or burritos. When prepared with a little love and care before rolling, you can ensure you get great results every time.

Here are some fool-proof steps to making awesome eggplant roll-ups, along with some recipes where you can swap this body-supportive veggie in.

Use a mandoline

These handy kitchen gadgets are a great way to cut even slices of eggplant, which means they’ll cook at a uniform rate and protect your fingers from a knife blade. Aim to slice them lengthwise to maximize your surface area for rolling. Depending on your recipe and your preference, experiment with keeping the skins on or peeling them off.

Salt and sweat

Lay your sliced eggplant out on a counter in a single layer and sprinkle with sea salt. Let your eggplant sit and sweat out their bitter-tasting compounds for at least 15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.

Lightly oil

Use an oil mister or sprayer to evenly coat your eggplant before baking. Use a mild-flavored oil like extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower so as to not compete with the flavor of your fillings.

Bake your strips in a single layer on foil

Baking in a single layer ensures your strips cook evenly across, and the foil helps them crisp just a little bit. For best roll-ability, you’ll want to bake the, at 350F for about 25 minutes (depending on their thickness) until they’re pliable, but not too crispy. 

Store cooked eggplant in the fridge

These handy little wrappers will last up to a week in the fridge. Stack these and store in an airtight container separated by layers of parchment paper until you’re ready to use them.

When you’re ready to roll…

… use toothpicks to hold them together, or cook further with ingredients rolled inside. The heat will help them remain rolled.

Get creative!

Eggplant itself doesn’t have a ton of flavor, so you can use it to hold everything from peanut butter and jelly to curried hummus and veggie rolls to homemade vegan pesto and tomato.

Think about what can go on the outside, too: a dusting of gf breadcrumbs or nutritional yeast, or even a vegan cheese if you’re making a vegan enchilada or burrito. (Try this: Pop your roll-ups back in the oven for 10-12 minutes to melt everything up.) Delish!