Eggplant sandwiches, Baked

By KodiakDavis

Italian-inspired eggplant dish. Eggplant with provolone and sun dried tomatoes, coated and baked crispy golden.

Ingredients

• 1 lb eggplant
• 5-6 oz provolone cheese, sliced thin (I used Mozzarella cheese)
• 8 oz sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley, divided
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 2-3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 cups marinara sauce (optional)
• Nonstick cooking oil spray or more olive oil for greasing the baking sheet

Preparation

Step 1

1. Slice the eggplant into rounds slightly thinner than ¼ inch.
2. 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.
3. 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 sloices paired together.
Tear the provolone (Mozzarella) into small pieces. Cover half of the eggplant slices with a layer of the torn provolone (Mozzarella).
4. 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.
5. Use the rest of the empty eggplant slices to cover the piled slices, making small eggplant
sandwiches.
6. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan.
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.
7. 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.
8. Immediately coat the sandwich in the breadcrumb , 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.
9. Drizzle the coated sandwiches lightly with the olive oil, dividing it evenly between the
sandwiches.
10. Bake in preheated oven on the middle rack for 35-40 minutes, flipping once halfway
through baking, till the sandwiches are golden brown. (See Note below).
Serve them warm sprinkled with the remaining chopped parsley. Optionally, top each sandwich with 2 tbsp warm marinara sauce, then with parsley.

Note: I fried the coated sandwiches in a frying pan with olive oil.