Eggplant Parmigiana is my absolute favorite meal. An eggplant parm sandwich the next day is better than a post-thanksgiving day sandwich and you can quote me on that. The only problem is, sometimes I don't want a whole tray of eggplant in my fridge.
So, I shrunk down the recipe and made it easy to make 2 eggplant parm sandwiches instead of a whole tray of eggplant parmigiana. Just a comforting sandwich is all I want. It's great for Friday nights instead of pizza and it doesn't take long to put together.
I prefer my eggplant parm sandwich on either sourdough bread or semolina bread. Whichever is easiest for you to acquire or just go with some Italian bread.
Ingredients you'll need:
- 1 Eggplant, sliced ¼ inch
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 4 slices of bread or loaf of Italian bread
- 1-2 eggs
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Sauce (I usually keep leftover sauce in the freezer, but you can make a quick sauce with these ingredients)
- 28 oz can of whole plum tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 basil leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Bread Crumb Mixture
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
Make Your Sauce First (Otherwise you'll be standing around waiting)
In a medium sauce pot, heat olive oil to medium heat. Stir in the minced garlic and saute for one minute. Then add the tomatoes. Hand crush the tomatoes or use a wooden spoon once they are in the pot. Bring the tomatoes to a boil and then return to a simmer. Add salt and basil leaves and simmer for 30 minutes.
90% of the time, I skip this step. It always pays to keep leftover Sunday Sauce in the freezer. I usually keep little containers of sauce in the freezer for myself for situations just like this.
Egging and Breading
Scramble the eggs and add a little salt to them. Combine the breadcrumb mixture ingredients together on a large plate. Dip the eggplant in the egg, coating both sides of the sliced eggplant. Then drop it into the breadcrumb mixture. Cover both sides with breadcrumbs, patting the breadcrumbs into the eggplant.
Flip it over more than one time to make sure they are completely covered with breadcrumbs.
Frying the Eggplant
In a large saucepan, heat canola oil to medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the eggplant into the oil in batches. Make sure you wait until the oil is very hot.
Fry each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Check the eggplant after 2 minutes to make sure it's not burnt. Remove the eggplants and place them on a paper towel-lined plate.
Assemble the Eggplant Parm Sandwich
On aluminum foil or a small pan, assemble the eggplant in a line, for your sandwich. After the first layer of eggplant, add sauce and parmesan. Top that with 2 more layers of the same and then add the mozzarella on top. Place in the oven on broil until the mozzarella starts to brown.
Toasting the Bread
I like to butter my bread and place it on a pan. Brown the bread and then make the sandwich. You can also just toast the bread like you normally would. Then place the eggplant on the bread and serve!
Eggplant parm sandwiches are so unbelievable, but we usually have to get there by making an entire tray of eggplant parmigiana. Sometimes, I just want the eggplant parm sandwich. Is that too much to ask? Of course not! I do what I want! And you should too! So make yourself an eggplant parm sandwich.
If you love eggplant parm, give us a review of our recipe below! Follow us at @vindelgiudice on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Eggplant Parm Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 Eggplant, sliced ¼ inch
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 4 slices bread or loaf of Italian bread
- 1-2 eggs
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Sauce
- 28 oz can of plum tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Bread Crumb
- ¾ cup bread crumb
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a medium pot and bring to medium heat. Stir in minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then stir in can of tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add basil and salt and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Combine all of the breadcrumb ingredients. Scramble the egg. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Coat both sides evenly.
- In a large saucepan, heat canola oil to medium-high heat. Once hot, carefully place the eggplant into the oil in batches. Fry each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Layer the eggplant with sauce and parmesan cheese with a few layers and then top with mozzarella cheese. Broil and then place on the sandwich.
Lorraine
Always loved next day eggplant parm the next day on a sandwich !
Great memories from my childhood !
Vinny and Marisa
so good!