Mediterranean Eggplant and Couscous Roll-Ups with Feta
I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest lover of eggplant, but I want to love it, and so I’m always trying to incorporate it in my foods. Now, I have a reason to really love it with these Mediterranean Eggplant and Couscous Roll-Ups with Feta. My gosh, these are incredible.
The eggplant is first lightly grilled, giving it a slightly charred flavor and cooking it just enough so it can be rolled. Then, the filling is made simply with onions, garlic, couscous, spinach, and feta. The combination is simple, but the flavor is complex!
You’ll spread hummus onto the grilled eggplant slices, stuff them with the couscous mixture, roll up and place in a baking dish with marinara. The marinara is a must and adds such depth to the flavor of this dish as well as a sauce. Some crumbles of feta at the end and voila – a gourmet meal made in under 45 minutes that can feed a hungry crowd.
If you want some modification ideas, here you go:
- Add some toasted slivered almonds into the couscous mixture for some crunch,
- If you truly don’t love eggplant, you can use zucchini slices here, and
- If you’re a meat eater, some ground turkey would work nicely – just cook the turkey and then fold it into the couscous mixture.
I can’t wait to see you all make these – and when you do, please use the hashtag #inspiralized so we can see!
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Mediterranean Eggplant and Couscous Roll-Ups with Feta
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants sliced in ½ pieces (about 8 slices/eggplant) lengthwise
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup dry couscous
- ½ red onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 5 cups of baby spinach
- ¼ cup crumbled feta + more to garnish
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- ½ cup hummus
- to garnish: chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat a grillpan over medium-high heat. Brush olive oil on the bottom of the pan.
- Season the eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant until there are grill marks on both sides and eggplant softens. Continue in batches, adding more oil if needed. Set all cooked eggplant on a plate or baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare the filling. Cook the couscous according to the package instructions. Typically, you add in 1.25 cups water, bring to a boil, add in the cup of dry couscous, stir, turn off the heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes and then uncover and fluff with a fork.
- While couscous cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add the onions and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add in the spinach and stir, cooking until wilted. Turn off the heat and wait until the couscous is done cooking. Once couscous is done, add it to the skillet with the ¼ cup of feta and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Pour the marinara in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish and spread out evenly with a spatula.
- Take your eggplant slices and on each slice, spread out a thin layer of hummus, about 1 tablespoon. On one end of a slice, top with at least 2 tablespoons of filling (larger eggplant slices can handle more) and roll lengthwise. Add stuffed eggplant roll to the baking dish with the marinara. Continue until all eggplant is used.
- Bake eggplant rolls for 15 minutes, just to warm. Immediately garnish with parsley and feta. Serve warm.
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