Eggplant Panini

By lindaauman

This quick and easy sandwich is perfect for an upscale twist on the everyday lunch sandwich. Made with fresh grilled eggplant, you can twist and change this sandwich around to whatever you have in your home. Salty and savory, this sandwich is great for vegetarians, and may even get a meat eater to try a new veggie or two!

Ingredients

• 1 Eggplant (any size depending on how many sandwiches you plan to make)
• 1 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
• 8-10 slices Italian Prosciutto (optional for vegetarian version)
• 1 cup Arugula
• 4 to 8 Whole Wheat Pitas or Flat Bread rounds
• 1 6 to 8 Ounce Block Feta Cheese
• 4 tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Chopped/Crushed Garlic
• pinches of Salt and Pepper

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Preparation

Step 1

Eggplant:
Preheat oven to 350-400 degrees OR grill/grill pan.
Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch round disks.
Brush eggplant rounds with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and crushed/chopped garlic.
Roast or grill until grill marks form or eggplant has lost some moisture and has shrunken a bit, about 10 to 20 minutes

Sandwiches:
To assemble sandwiches…
Slice feta into fairly thin slices
Place 2 slices of grilled/roasted eggplant, 1 slice prosciutto (optional), 4 leaves arugula, 2 sun dried tomatoes, and 1 slice feta onto half of the pita/flatbread.
Fold bread in half, brush both sides with olive oil.
Place sandwiches in panini press, grill pan, or skillet.
Put something heavy on top of sandwiches while the brown in order to compress it.
Sandwich is done with bread is browned and ingredients are heated through.