Best Grilled Eggplant Provencal Panini Recipes

GRILLED VEGETABLE PANINI

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the oil over the eggplant, zucchini, and onion slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill the eggplant, zucchini, and onions until they are tender and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Cool completely.
• Cut each baguette into 6 pieces. Working with one baguette piece at a time, slice in half and spread both sides with the pesto. Working with the bottom slice of the baguette, stack 2 slices of eggplant, 2 slices zucchini, 1 slice onion, 1 slice tomato, 1 slice mozzarella, and 1 slice of roasted pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place top half of baguette on top and continue with remaining baguette. (The sandwiches can be made 4 hours ahead. Wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup (about) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• In a blender, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until finely chopped. With the blender still running, gradually add enough oil to form a smooth and thick consistency. Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Season the pesto with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The pesto can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Yield: 1 cup
• Prep Time: 10 minutes

GRILLED EGGPLANT PANINI

Steps:

• Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Pat dry and brush lightly with olive oil.
• Preheat a panini grill and place the eggplant slices in it in an even layer. Grill 3 minutes, until cooked through and nicely marked by the grill. Remove from the heat.
• Spread a little pesto on the bottom slice of bread. Top with a layer of eggplant slices, then a layer of pepper or tomato slices. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Top with the grated cheese and the other slice of bread. Brush the outside of both the bottom and the top pieces of bread with olive oil. Grill 5 minutes, or until nicely toasted and the cheese has melted. Remove from the panini grill and cut into halves or thirds, depending on the size of the bread. Serve hot.

GRILLED EGGPLANT PANINI WITH CAMBOZOLA BLUE CHEESE, PROSCIUTTO AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Heat grill pan to medium-high.
• Heat the olive oil in small pot over medium heat with garlic and rosemary to infuse flavor, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Brush eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side to tenderize. Remove from heat.
• Make sandwiches on split flat breads of 2 slices each eggplant, blue cheese, prosciutto and a handful of arugula.
• Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Choose a second skillet that can fit down inside the first and get a few heavy cans ready to weight skillets. When pan is hot, add 1 flat bread, weight down with second skillet and cans and cook 1 minute, flip, cook a minute more. Repeat process with remaining ingredients and serve.

EGGPLANT PANINIS

Steps:

• Preheat grill pan or Panini press. You can also use a George Forman grill.
• Melt butter and mix with olive oil.
• Peel eggplant and slice.
• Brush the eggplant slices with butter and oil mixture. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Grill eggplant on the grill pan until the eggplant is marked and just soft, about 4-6 minutes. Turn once.
• Remove from the grill.
• Mix worchestershire, basalmic vinegar, mayonnaise, garlic powder and mustard in a small bowl.
• Spread mixture on four slices of bread. Add sliced eggplant, add 1 T red onions, and a few chopped tomatoes to each sandwich ( you may use fresh tomatoes, if desired. Because this recipe was developed for a contest, canned tomatoes were used).
• Add chopped cilantro.
• Add 1 slice mozzarella to each sandwich.
• Top with remaining bread slices.
• Brush both sides of bread with olive oil and butter mixture.
• Grill until cheese melts and bread is crisp.
• Serve with marinara sauce or picante sauce, if desired.
• Slice into fourths for buffet table.

GRILLED EGGPLANT, ARUGULA AND MOZZARELLA PANINI

Steps:

• Brush eggplant slices with oil on both sides and place in a George Foreman grill--or panini grill-- cook 4 minutes, remove.
• Brush bread slices with oil.
• On 4 slices, oil side down, arrange eggplant, arugula, and mozzarella, top with 4 bread slices oil side up add 2 sandwiches to grill, close and cook 3-4 minutes.
• Repeat.
• Cut sandwiches on diagonal and serve.

GRILLED EGGPLANT SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Mix oil and garlic; brush onto cut sides of rolls and both sides of vegetables. Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper., Grill eggplant, covered, over medium heat until tender, 4-5 minutes per side. Grill tomato, covered, until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes per side. Grill rolls, cut side down, until toasted, 1-2 minutes., Spread roll bottoms with goat cheese. Top with basil, eggplant and tomato; close sandwiches.