Eggplant Parm Sandwiches
with mozzarella, tomato sauce, basil and Greek salad

Name: Eggplant Parm Sandwiches
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lb Eggplants, diced; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/2 cup Cheese, parmesan (opt), grated; 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs; 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning; 1/2 tsp Black pepper; 3 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 6 oz Cheese, fresh mozzarella, sliced; 10 leaves Basil, fresh, sliced; 4 Hoagie or other sandwich rolls; 1 1/2 cups Marinara sauce (use your favorite store bought variety); ~3 cups Breaded eggplant (ingredients listed separately); 1/2 cup Olives, pitted Kalamata, chopped; 1 Cucumbers, medium, diced; 2 Tomatoes, medium, chopped; 2 tsp Oil, olive; 1 tsp Vinegar, red or white wine

Active: 30 min Total: 1 hr

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

Eggplant parm often involves excessive frying that results in long cook times and extra calories, but this lightened version saves time without sacrificing any of those classic flavors. Serve the sandwiches with a refreshing Greek salad made with cucumbers and tomatoes.
Smarts: Eggplant holds a lot of moisture which is why it can turn soggy when cooked. Salting it early in the prep process will help to extract excess liquid and encourage the eggplant to cook evenly and get nice crisp edges.

Proteins

Cheese

Cuisines

European - Mediterranean

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Breaded Eggplant:

Eggplants - 1 lb , diced
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cheese, parmesan (opt) - 1/2 cup , grated
Panko breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup
Italian seasoning - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Oil, cooking - 3 Tbsp

Eggplant Parm Sandwiches:

Cheese, fresh mozzarella - 6 oz , sliced
Basil, fresh - 10 leaves , sliced
Hoagie or other sandwich rolls - 4
Marinara sauce (use your favorite store bought variety) - 1 1/2 cups
Breaded eggplant (ingredients listed separately) - ~3 cups

Greek Salad:

Olives, pitted Kalamata - 1/2 cup , chopped
Cucumbers, medium - 1 , diced
Tomatoes, medium - 2 , chopped
Oil, olive - 2 tsp
Vinegar, red or white wine - 1 tsp

Prep

Eggplant - Cube eggplant (leave peel on or remove). Place a colander over a mixing bowl. Toss eggplant with salt and transfer to colander. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes; the salt will draw moisture out of the eggplant (this will help the breading to stick and the eggplant to stay crisp while cooking).
Make breading - Grate parmesan cheese (if not already grated). Combine parmesan cheese, panko, Italian seasonings and black pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Olives - Chop olives. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Mozzarella / Cucumbers / Tomatoes / Basil - Prep as directed.

Unlock this meal along with hundreds of smart meal plans and never stress about "What's for dinner?" again

Try for free
Learn More

Make

Turn on oven’s broiler. Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Slice rolls and place them cut-side up on the pan.
Toss eggplant cubes with breading. Press cubes between your hands to help breading stick.
Heat a skillet or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then eggplant cubes to heated oil. (Do this in batches if the pan is too small to easily hold all of the eggplant.) Gently saute eggplant cubes until tender inside and golden brown on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes.
When eggplant is cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer eggplant to a paper-towel lined plate.
Place sheet pan under broiler and toast buns until lightly golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven and spread each half of buns with marinara. Top one half of each bun with basil and then eggplant and mozzarella.
Return sandwiches to oven and continue cooking under broiler just until mozzarella is melted.
Just before serving toss olives, cucumbers and tomatoes in olive oil and vinegar. Season with some salt and pepper.
Serve sandwiches with salad on the side and enjoy!

Reviews

Ratings

0 reviews