BAKED EGGPLANT SANDWICHES RECIPE

baked eggplant sandwiches Recipe image

Provided by KodiakDavis

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 lb eggplant
5-6 oz provolone cheese, sliced thin
8 oz sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/2 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley, divided
3/4 cup breadcrumbs or for gluten free use 1 ½ cups almond meal (if nut free, do not use almond meal)
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (if using almond meal, 1 1/2 cups)
2-3 large eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 cups marinara or arrabiata sauce (optional)
Nonstick cooking oil spray or more olive oil for greasing the baking sheet

Steps:

Slice the eggplant into rounds slightly thinner than ¼ inch. Place the rounds into a colander and sprinkle them with salt. Let the eggplant sit for about 30 minutes to draw out moisture and bitterness. Rinse the rounds and pat them dry with paper towels. Salting eggplant rounds. Place rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Place the eggplant rounds on a flat surface, lining them up in rows with like-sized slices paired together. Tear the provolone into small pieces. Cover half of the eggplant slices with a layer of the torn provolone. Drain the sun dried tomatoes of their excess oil. Place a sun dried tomato on top of each of the provolone-covered eggplant slices. Divide half of the fresh chopped parsley between the eggplant slices, sprinkling a little parsley onto the top of each sun dried tomato. Season the piled slices with salt and pepper. Use the rest of the empty eggplant slices to cover the piled slices, making small eggplant sandwiches. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs or almond meal and grated parmesan. If using almond meal, you will need twice as much of the breading mixture (twice the almond meal, twice the parmesan), as the almond meal tends to clump a bit during the breading process. The parmesan should be finely grated to a powdery texture; if your parmesan is shredded, pulse it in a food processor till powdery. In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs (start with 2-you may or may not end up needing one more). Grease a nonstick baking sheet. Gather the eggplant sandwiches, two bowls, and baking sheet together. Grab one sandwich at a time, grasping firmly in the center to hold it together. Dip the sandwich in the beaten eggs, making sure it is completely covered on all sides with a thin layer of egg. Let any excess egg drip back into the bowl. Immediately coat the sandwich in the breadcrumb or almond meal mixture, making sure to coat the sides and edges evenly. Place the breaded sandwich on the greased baking sheet. Repeat till all sandwiches have been dipped and breaded. Drizzle the coated sandwiches lightly with the olive oil, dividing it evenly between the sandwiches. Bake in preheated oven on the middle rack for 35-40 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking, till the sandwiches are golden brown. Serve them warm sprinkled with the remaining chopped parsley. Optionally, top each sandwich with 2 tbsp warm marinara or arrabiata sauce, then with parsley.