Everyone has heard of eggplant parmesan and no family has had more of their share of this dish than mine but I still can’t help going back to it when I see a beautiful eggplant sitting there starring at me in the grocery store- beckoning me to take it home and slather it with cheese and marinara sauce.
I thought to myself, “Okay this is the last time I will do eggplant parmesan, I swear!” as I proceeded to grab the beauties! Then it hit me- Sandwich King. No, the sandwich king didn’t physically hit me but it popped in my mind and I thought about doing a twist on eggplant parm and making it into a sandwich. With a delectable loaf of scali bread in my hand and a pound of fresh parmesan cheese I proceeded to the check out line with my happy little self in hopes of shining a new light on this classic dish.
Yes, this dish has been done before but I can promise this version will live up to be a favorite. My amazing one stop shop marinara sauce that I swear by paired with the lightly breaded eggplant is just heavenly. After crisping up the eggplant, I topped it with the sauce and cheese and then baked them until everything was joined at the hip and living all happily together.
The key to a perfect eggplant sandwich is to make sure the eggplant is completely dried before you lightly fry it. By dry I mean DRY! Like pat it, leave it, pat it again, leave it and then you guessed it- pat it again! This allows the breading to not only stay in place but gives you that perfectly crisp coating people only dream about-or am I the only one who dreams about the perfect crispy coating???? Anyway, regardless of that, whether you want to make a sandwich or pasta with the eggplant let’s say this together- DRY THE EGGPLANT!
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Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 cups bread crumbs ( I used half panko and half regular bread crumbs)
2 cups marinara sauce (Click here for my zesty marinara sauce)
4 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
16 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
Directions:
Cut each eggplant in half and then cut 1/2 inch slices. Wash the eggplant then pat dry, continue to pat the eggplant dry three or four time before seasoning it. Sprinkle the eggplant with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Season your breadcrumbs with the garlic powder, red pepper flakes and oregano. Dredge each slice in the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs. Melt your butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over the stove on medium heat. Saute each eggplant slice for about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Once all of the eggplant slices have been sauteed/cooked then its time to get to layering our dish. Pour half of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the skillet, then layer the eggplant in, spoon the remaining sauce over the eggplant then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for approx 10-15 minutes until cheese is completely melted. Serve on toasted buns or bread of your choice.
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Eggplant parm is hands down FOR SURE one of my favorite ways to eat eggplant. Throw it on a sandwich – even better!
Oh my, this looks so good! The bubbly. golden cheese is mouthwatering!
What a coincidence – I just had eggplant sandwich for lunch couple of hours ago, and there is some leftovers within arms reach. And this is the first time in my life I think that I had eggplant sandwich, it wasn’t eggplant parmesan though – thats an upgrade:)
I have never had eggplant before but this recipe really has me wanting to try it. Yum!
xo
Those sandwiches look ah-mazing! Look at all that cheese and sauce. Yum!!
I am seriously craving one of these right now – it looks SO good – love big sandwiches with great flavor –
Mary x
this looks ah-mazing! i love eggplant! this might have to make an appearance for dinner one night soon!
Heavens! This looks amazing. It combines some of my favorite things – eggplant parm and bread!!!
Goodness, even the bread looks amazing! I love this idea, I’ll have to save it to try next time I get some eggplant.
You are one of the sweetest gals out there! Always with the kind word, it is much appreciated.
BTW, eggplant parm is my husbands FAVORITE meal!! And leftovers on a hero the next drives him right over the edge… Your sandwich looks awsome, but I have to make sure he doesn’t see it or I’ll be making tonight….
Best, Sandie
i love eggplants and i like the way you made this with the cheese, wish i can just take a bite here!! this sandwich looks amazing!!
I just love popping onto your site and realizing what I’ll be having for lunch or dinner!
Wow… this looks absolutely delicious! New to your blog and I absolutely love it, by the way 😉
This looks fabulous! Love Jeff Morrow, and even when I don’t watch the FN, the concepts of certain show stick with me… Like his.
BTW, I don’t dream of perfect crispy coating, I think that may be a southern thing. I dream of the perfect cake.
Yum! We are big eggplant parmesan fans in this family. Some good crusty bread makes it SO much better.
This looks so delicious for lunch right now! My stomach is growling!
Now I am craving one of these sandwiches… 🙂
Wow, does this look good or what?? Ima vegetarian always looking for new things to try….your recipe is on my list:)
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Oh Jessica, don’t promise, I don’t mind more eggplant Parmesan recipes!! I love eggplant and putting in sandwich is great. I need someone to eat this with me. My kids probably don’t want eggplant in their sandwich (gosh, why not!) and my husband insists to have some kind of meat in it (it’s okay to skip one time!). If you are my neighbor I’d beg if you can invite me when you cook this….or I invite you! 🙂 Looks so good – simple yet juicy and delicious!!!
that eggplant looks perfectly crispy and delicious! i’m usually on the fence about eggplant, but i would definitely give this beautiful sandwich a try!!
I have never, ever seen more appealing and delicious looking eggplant EVER! I love the idea of turning it into a sandwich and can’t wait to serve this to my bookclub soon. They will love it.
This looks absolutely fabulous and I don’t even care for eggplant that much! Simply delicious.
What a truly mouthwatering sandwich, Jessica! I love eggplant but I must be honest in saying that I haven’t tried it in sandwich! Thanks for the idea!
…. ” DRY THE EGGPLANT” ….
I pay attention, straight A student. 🙂 awesomeness in a sammie
Now this is what I call YUMALICIOUS!!!
Look at that cheesy goodness!!! I can almost see juice coming out of the sandwich!!
This is truely heaven on earth! U are the bomb.com!
This looks heavenly! Believe it or not, I’ve never made Eggplant Parm before, but this may change that!
Drooooooooooool! Why does my husband not like eggplant? Its pure craziness. We may need to have a parm night (eggplant for me, chicken for him!)
Oh this looks so addictive!!!
That gooey bubbly cheese is to die for…
YUM.
I happen to have several eggplants in the fridge right now. I’m glad the sandwich king hit you. 😉
Delicious, Jessica. It looks mouth watering, even at 6am! I do adore egg plant!
You are a genious!
I am making this ASAP..thank you for the great idea
Wow! This looks so delicious! Wish I had this for my lunch today! 🙂
Yum! Especially tempting photos today. yes, you gotta sweat the eggplants, and dry ’em off for best results. this is a favorite sandwich in our household—and I don’t make it often enough.
This looks great, I love sandwiches/ subs of any kind… they are so easy to put together and this one is sure to taste great with all that marinara sauce and the eggplant.
Love the sandwich king (glad he won), and love that you thought to make this into a sandwich. Wonderful idea for a delicious meal! The photo of the cheesy eggplant in the cast iron skillet is perfect. 🙂
I could go for this right now. Looks fabulous!
Eggplant parmesan is a wonderful thing, I insist on crispness.
I don’t like to wash or rinse eggplant. After slicing, I salt it liberally. Let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes and wipe off the moisture with a towel.
After breading lay the slices down, preferably on a rack. This will ensure crispness.
I must say, that bread looks terrific.
This is my favorite sandwich in the whole world… how did you know? I’m lovin it and now I have a craving I will have to make some this weekend! Thanks for a reminder ! 🙂
Oh my goodness eggplant Parmesan is one of my favorite dishes to eat!! I have never thought about making it as a sandwich but this just looks down right delicious!!
You may be the sandwich queen. I die for eggplant Parmesan.
I’m totally craving Italian now.
Looks better than BBQ! Seriously, awesome creation there.
I for one can never have enough eggplant dishes! And every variation of eggplant parm is good for me!! And this is a mouthful!! Oh my! I could so see this for the next football game party!! And don’t worry, I will DRY my eggplant first!!! Thanks for the great tip!!!
I LOVE eggplant parmesan. Not a huge fan of eggplant plain, but throw some cheese on it and oh my god… so good!
Eggplant parm is my favorite way to eat eggplant, and this sammy looks super yummy. I will remember to dry the eggplant! 🙂
Love eggplant with pasta so I know I will love it with that amazing bread- where can I find that type of bread- it looks so good and perfect for this sandwich
I saw the sandwich king in person when I was in NY a few weeks ago and he is so amazing- so full of energy and sweet. So funny you are talking about him in this post! The sandwich looks wonderful- i am sure he would be proud
Wow! I made this last night and it was truly fantastic! no lie- you are a genius
Gorgeous, I had one of these in Carmel years ago, have to try making this