Eggplant Parmasan Ciabatta

When my sister was little, before I was even born, there was a brief phase when she carried an eggplant around like a baby and pushed it around in a stroller. She's always had an eye for beautiful things. I bought an eggplant this week just because they looked so good. I didn't have a recipe in mind. They just looked so beautiful at the store and I'm too old to push one around in a stroller. I figured I'd roast it but wasn't sure what to do from there. And then I realized the obvious choice. Eggplant Parm Sub. It's second only to a chicken finger sub for me. I classed it up a bit and made an awesome (if I do say so) sandwich on ciabatta.

You'll need:

1 medium eggplant

1 loaf garlic ciabatta

2 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced 

tomato or pasta sauce

olive oil

salt and pepper

Printable Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wipe the eggplant clean and slice both ends off. Slice the eggplant lengthwise, 1/4" thick on a mandolin. If you're knife skills are good enough to do that free-hand then more power to you. Lay the slices in a large baking dish and coat generously with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the slices until softened, about 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Slice a nice loaf of ciabatta lengthwise. I used roasted garlic ciabatta and it was great. Rosemary ciabatta might also be nice. Spread a thin layer of tomato or pasta sauce as a base on what will be the bottom half of the sandwich. Layer the roasted eggplant with as much tomato sauce as desired. Top with slices of fresh mozzarella. Place both side of the sandwich "open face" on the broiler to toast the bread and melt the cheese. This happens quickly so keep and eye on it. Place the toasted top half on the prepared half and slice. Enjoy.

I loved this sandwich. With not a lot of effort you have a hearty, yummy sandwich that's nice for a evening in or could be great football food. It's lightened up by using roasted eggplant rather than breaded and fried eggplant. You could lighten it further, if you wish, by omitting the cheese or using part skim mozzarella.