I had a craving for a grilled eggplant sandwich the other day but 1) I don’t have a grill and 2) that sounded like a lot of work, so I made this quick skillet version instead. The resulting Eggplant Mozzarella Sandwiches are a “meaty” combo of sautéed eggplant drenched with marinara sauce, piled high onto a garlic butter toasted bun, then topped off with melty mozzarella cheese. YES PLEASE.
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What to Serve with Eggplant Mozzarella Sandwiches
These eggplant sandwiches are pretty filling, so I would pair them with something super simple, like a very basic side salad to kind of lighten up the plate. Or, if you want something more vegetable-packed, they would be awesome with Marinated Cauliflower Salad, Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes, Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower, or Simple Sautéed Vegetables.
Sandwich Sizes and Servings
This recipe makes about 3-4 sandwiches, depending on the size of your eggplant and the size of your rolls or buns. I used hoagie buns that were about 6 inches in length and an eggplant that was about 8-inches long and I was able to make three large sandwiches. If you were to use round rolls, you’d probably get four piled-high sandwiches.
How to Store Leftovers
These sandwiches definitely need to be consumed right when they’re assembled, so if you’re in a smaller household that won’t be eating all three or four sandwiches at once, make sure to store the components separately. Keep the sautéed eggplant with red sauce in its own container and reheat either in a skillet or in the microwave. Butter and toast your bread just before assembly, then add the eggplant and cheese, and briefly heat to melt the cheese.
Mozzarella Options
I used fresh mozzarella because it melts so beautifully and I can get it for a decent price. If fresh mozzarella is not available or not available at a reasonable price, you can use shredded mozzarella instead. Full-fat mozzarella will always melt better than part-skim, but part-skim will work in a pinch.
Eggplant Mozzarella Sandwiches
Servings 3 to 4 sandwichesIngredients
- 1 eggplant (8" length) ($1.49)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.10)
- 1 cup marinara sauce ($0.50)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 4 rolls ($1.53)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.11)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 4 oz. mozzarella ($2.00)
Instructions
- Cube the eggplant into ½-inch cubes. Mince the garlic.
- Heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the cubed eggplant and Italian seasoning. Continue to sauté until the eggplant is soft (5-7 minutes).
- Add the marinara sauce to the skillet with the eggplant, stir to combine, then heat through (3-5 minutes). Taste and season with salt (about ½ tsp).
- Preheat the boiler on your oven and make sure the oven rack is positioned in the middle. Combine the second 2 Tbsp olive oil with the butter and garlic powder. Microwave for 15-30 seconds to melt the butter, then stir to combine.
- Place the buns on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Brush the butter and olive oil mixture over the cut surfaces of the rolls. Bake under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until they are just barely golden brown (watch them closely as broilers can vary).
- After removing the rolls from the oven, switch the setting from broil to bake (350ºF). Pile the eggplant mixture onto the toasted rolls, then top with mozzarella. Return the sandwiches to the hot oven and bake for about 5 minutes more, or until the mozzarella is melted. Serve hot!
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Nutrition
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How to Make Eggplant Mozzarella Sandwiches – Step by Step Photos
Cube one eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes. Mince two cloves of garlic.
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add the cubed eggplant and 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Continue to sauté until the eggplant is soft (5-7 minutes).
Once the eggplant is soft, add 1 cup marinara sauce.
Stir to combine the eggplant and sauce, then heat through. Taste and season with salt (about ½ tsp).
Preheat the broiler on your oven and make sure the oven’s rack is in the middle position. Place your buns or rolls on a baking sheet, cut side up. Combine the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp butter, and ¼ tsp garlic powder. Microwave for 15-30 seconds, or until melted, then stir to combine. Brush the butter and oil mixture over the cut surface of the rolls.
Toast the rolls under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until they are barely golden brown. Watch them closely, as broilers can vary quite a bit. Once toasted, switch the oven’s setting from broil to bake (350ºF). Spoon the eggplant mixture onto the rolls.
Top the eggplant mixture with mozzarella (about 1 oz. per sandwich).
Return the sandwiches to the oven and bake for a few minutes more, or until the mozzarella is melted.
Serve the eggplant mozzarella sandwiches while they’re still hot! (I added a little chopped parsley for color, but it’s not needed for flavor)
Finally got to make this today & I gotta say, a great way to make a quick eggplant sammich without a lot of work. I must confess I didn’t have motz on hand so loaded it up with Parmesan & it was still delicious. The roll is important so get the best you can, not those in the plastic bags if possible. I have enough left to make one more tomorrow for lunch so I may get the motz for that one. Great recipe, give it a try!! Thanks Beth, really approve of your recipes….Bill
These sandwiches are the best! My garden is producing far too many eggplant this year and this is my favorite way to use it up.
Delicious
I’m not an eggplant fan normally, but they were on sale for 88 cents and these photos looked delicious. The eggplant was merely a vessel for the sauce, and the toasty bread and melty cheese were SO good. I used Aldi’s deli rolls for the buns, so very cheap recipe overall. Would make again.
So good. My broiler took way less than 5 minutes, so be cautious as Beth suggests. I used a super cheap pasta sauce (the $1 Hunts canned sauce) and cooked it down before adding to the eggplant because I find most marinaras add several dollars to cost. Added a bit of water to the eggplant to avoid using a ton of oil as someone else suggested. My 4 year old LOVED it. I loved it. My meat loving spouse liked it.
Made these for dinner tonight, using ciabatta rolls. Really easy! Great for a weeknight. I always salt, drain, and rinse my eggplant. Otherwise, it tastes bitter. Added some shredded Italian blend to the mixture before adding the slice of mozzarella. Also, seasoned the mozzarella with a little Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper because it has no taste, imho. Served with mixed greens and onion straws. Will definitely make again!
Just made these! Glad I have a toaster oven to melt the cheese. I am going to be adding this recipe to the rotation because it is delicious!
Omg! Tried it out last night and boy were they delicious? It was smash hit with the boys who usually wrinkle their noses at my vegetable creations. But this they loved. I making this again at their request.
Do you have tips for successfully sautéing the eggplant? I find that it either withers and scorches with little or no oil, yet when I add more oil, the eggplant absorbs it like a sponge. The sandwiches sound scrumptious, so I’d love to have more confidence in battling the eggplant!
Try adding a little water (a few Tbsp) so it steams a little bit. That will keep it from scorching until the plant cells break and release their own water. The added water will eventually evaporate away.
Hey Brenda, another tip. Simply sprinkle a little salt over the veggies you wish to saute. They will release water and you can either close with a lid to help the cooking process or continue stirring if you notice any scorching. Keep the flame on lowest setting. Hope that helps.
The recipe was very delicious and everyone loved this eggplant mozzarella sandwiches which we packed for our picnic with family. I doubled the recipe so I could take some for the other members in the group.
This was quick and easy. I used cheddar cheese instead as that is what I had. Delicious. When finished making I wrapped each one in foil and took on a picnic, it was a hit. They even stayed very warm and the bread did not get soggy.
I will be making these again.
This was good. I got lazy and skipped the butter and garlic powder step — next time I won’t.
I’m an eggplant lover and this is perfect for me! Looks delicious, quick and easy, plus mozzarella I can’t ask for more for this recipe! Thank you for sharing this!
looking tasty and yummy.
Amazing! Quick, yummy and doesn’t require a ton of dishes. Might add a can of brown lentils to the sauce to bump up the protein next time.
I have to say, I was a little skeptical as to how these would turn out as the recipe was so simple, but they were great!!! It came together quickly and the whole family loved it. I added some shredded zucchini to the sauce for extra veg, which worked well. This will be in the recipe rotation for sure.
I thought it was called Eggplant Parmigiano Sandwich from what you had posted on here.
OH LORDY….
THIS IS SO GOOD AND STUPID SIMPLE.
THANKS FOR THE RECIPE !!
This look so yumm! Definitely trying this out at home.
My mom’s favorite sandwich is eggplant parmesan, so this seems like a nice quicker way to get the same craving out. Thank you!
YUM!!! Perfect as written and I wouldn’t change a thing.
I wanted to add to my original post that leftover eggplant was terrific for lunch today–whole grain toast smeared with cream cheese and topped with the cold eggplant. Goat cheese or a soft herbed cheese spread would have been better, but plain cream cheese was in my fridge. Ricotta would have worked, too. This eggplant recipe is almost a simplified version of ratatouille, with prepared pasta sauce (mine had onion, peppers, and olives) a much easier way to add additional flavors than dicing and sauteing nearly half a dozen different veggies