Eggplant Cheeseburger Roll Ups

Set oven to 400F.

Set a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat and spray with olive oil. Once the skillet is hot, toss in garlic and ground turkey (or your choice of lean protein). Chop and stir with a spatula. While the meat is cooking, toss in a few pinches of sea salt and pepper. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until there are no visible pink pieces of meat.

Use a mandolin to slice an eggplant into thick pieces, about 1/3″ or 1/2″ thick. It is important that you do not slice the eggplant too thin because they will tear upon rolling.

Once the eggplants are sliced, dry the slices on a paper towel for about 10 minutes. You can speed up the process by pressing the eggplant slice between two paper towels. Don’t be lazy and skip this step! Too much water in the eggplant will make it mushy upon baking.

Place the dried eggplant slices on a nonstick baking sheet or on a hot griddle (such as a panini press or George Foreman grill).  Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes at 400F or until they are soft.  Once they are finished baking, immediately place them on a cooling rack so that the steam does not make them mushy. Once the slices have cooled down, it’s time to assemble the eggplant burger rollups!

On one eggplant slice, add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard (or your favorite low-calorie burger spread), small handful of mixed greens, tomato slices, red onion, about 1/4 cup cooked ground turkey and about two tablespoons of cheddar. Firmly press down on the ingredients so that it is packed in. Beginning with the narrow end, roll the eggplant towards the wider end and cup your hands to keep the ingredients from falling out as much as possible. Repeat for the remaining ingredients.

TIP: if you happened to cut your eggplant to thin or it is too soggy, simply double-up and wrap another eggplant slice around the roll

Place the roll on a baking sheet, or in a cast iron skillet, with the flap side down. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 400F.