Day 86: Eggplant, Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwiches ♥

Eggplant, Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwiches
A simple open-faced sandwich, topped with rounds of eggplant, tomato and fresh mozzarella.

~recipe & photo updated 2010~

My cousin Laura is a vegetarian who lives with and cooks for five carnivores aka her husband Gary and their four children. These eggplant sandwiches are so good, so filling that I suspect no one complains when there's no 'meat' at their table.

The bread is lightly flavored with garlic and soaks up a bit of tomato juice. Each bite offers up crunch and soft, dry and wet, sweet and salt. Yummmmmmy. This may turn out to be a sandwich summer!

And for busy mothers everywhere, these make up in no time, somewhat to my surprise.

TESTIMONIALS
"Just made it, ate it and it's fabulous."


EGGPLANT, TOMATO & MOZZARELLA SANDWICHES

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 40 minutes
Makes 12 small open-faced sandwiches serving 6 or 12 (see ALANNA's TIPS)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic (see TIPS)
1 pound fresh eggplant
Salt & pepper

1 or 2 slices good, hearty bread per person
Fresh tomatoes
Basil leaves (Laura says these are optional but I find them a big addition)
Salt & pepper

1 ounce fresh mozzarella per person, sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 375F. Mix the olive oil and garlic in a small dish. Cut the eggplant horizontally into half-inch thick slices. Brush both sides of each slice with the olive oil mixture, then arrange on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each slice with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven but keep the oven on. (I suspect that the eggplant might be made ahead and then briefly reheated before continuing. This would likely work for leftovers, too.) Transfer the eggplant to a plate.

Arrange the bread slices on the same baking sheet and place in the oven for about 3 minutes or until slightly toasted. (Using the same baking sheet lets the bread soak up a bit of the oil and garlic flavor left by the eggplant.) Remove the baking sheet but leave the oven on.

While the bread toasts, slice the tomatoes and the cheese. Wash and snip the basil leaves.

* Arrange the eggplant slices on the bread slices, cutting in half or otherwise to fit if needed. Arrange the tomato slices atop the eggplant, again cutting to fit. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (an important step, don't skip). Top each slice with two or three basil leaves, then with the mozzarella. Return to the oven to bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Leftover Report: Warmed up for lunch, these tasted as good as fresh. I warmed the eggplant on a baking sheet at 400F, putting it in the oven when first turning it on, not bothering with preheating. After 10 minutes, I removed the tray, moved the eggplant over a bit, placed a slice of bread where the eggplant had been and put it all back in the oven for 3 minutes. Then I continued from the * above. Yummy again.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
The eggplant itself slices into four large rounds that cover eight slices of bread and four smaller rounds that cover another four slices for a total of twelve sandwiches which to my measure would be 6 servings for a main meal and 12 for a light lunch.
Laura suggests crushing a clove of garlic with the broad side of a knife, remove the skin and stirring it into the olive oil.


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MORE FAVORITE RECIPES
~ Grilled Eggplant with Balsamic Honey Syrup ~
~ Roasted Baby Eggplant Halves with Herbs ~
~ Eggplant Steaks ~
~ more eggplant recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Ratatouille ~
~ Eggplant & Bean Thai Curry ~
~ Moroccan Chicken ~
~ more eggplant recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column




© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2005


Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. This definitely isn't lowest carb!

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  2. The "fixings" in the sandwich are low carb -- after that, it depends on the bread you use. So, your choice!

    ReplyDelete
  3. just made it, ate it and it's fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fabulous! This has long been on my re-make list. Thanks for the reminder!

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna