Fresh tomatoes and basil over gooey melted mozzarella and grilled eggplant make this the best sandwich for a lazy summer day! No measuring required, it’s perfect if you’re looking for vegetarian sandwiches to use up all of those tomatoes from the garden.
It’s the dog days of summer, people. We don’t want it to end, but it’s hot and we are kinda feeling too lazy to enjoy it. So let me put your mind at ease.
This is a vegetarian sandwich that allows you to enjoy all of those end-of-summer tomatoes and everything that goes with them with very little effort.
No cook, (sorta) no fuss, no guilt. I mean, right now I am almost too lazy to write about it. But you need to eat it, so I will carry on.
One of the best things about this grilled eggplant sandwich recipe is that it is very lazy. No measuring, just handfuls and bunches and drizzles.
(And you could make that balsamic reduction, but let’s remember the theme here – laziness means I bought it at the Italian market.)
And this is really your last weekend to be lazy, because something switches on after Labor Day Weekend. Even though summer isn’t really over, tomorrow there will be a certain energy in the air that says fall. So let’s take advantage of this day, allow ourselves to be lazy, and relax.
Eggplant is outstanding on its own, but when you combine it with everything that makes a caprese salad so good – fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar – you’ve got yourself a very tasty grilled eggplant sandwich that just might be the embodiment of summer.
So be lazy. Enjoy the last, lazy, crazy days of summer. No sweat.
Grilled Eggplant Sandwich with Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Basil
Vegetarian sandwiches are perfect for summer. Satisfying but lighter, using the best produce of the season, so flavorful you won’t miss the meat.
Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Brush with olive oil and salt.
Do you need to salt eggplant before cooking?
No. Not any more than any other vegetable.
Some people tell you to salt the eggplant and let it drain in the colander for a while to get rid of bitterness and excess water. I have never found this to make any difference either way in my cooking. Mostly because guess what – eggplant isn’t really bitter anymore.
And I don’t find that the salting really extracts all that much water, either. If you prefer this step, by all means, go ahead. But remember, we are being lazy here…
Place eggplant on a grill or cast-iron grill pan, turning once, and cook through until soft. Set aside to cool.
In the meantime, slice tomatoes in half and slice basil leaves into thin strips. (chiffonade)
Slice baguette in half.
Layer the grilled eggplant slices on top of baguette and top with cheese slices. Place under the broiler until cheese begins to melt and bubble.
Top the eggplant sandwiches with tomato slices and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with balsamic reduction, and sprinkle the basil over the top.
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Ingredients
- 1 eggplant sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 baguette small
- 6 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes or other small heirloom tomatoes
- fresh basil
- balsamic glaze
- kosher salt
- olive oil
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Brush with olive oil and salt.
- Place eggplant on a grill or grill pan, turning once, and cook through until soft. Set aside to cool.
- In the meantime, slice tomatoes in half and chiffonade the basil leaves. Slice baguette in half.
- Layer eggplant slices on top of baguette and top with cheese slices. Place under the broiler until cheese begins to melt and bubble.
- Top eggplant sandwiches with tomato slices and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with balsamic reduction, and sprinkle basil over the top.
Notes
- Do you need to salt eggplant and let it drain before cooking? No. I’ve experimented with this extensively over the years and found that it makes absolutely no difference, so just treat it like any other veggie that you are going to grill. Season it and throw it on there.
- If you don’t have an outdoor grill, a cast-iron grill pan will work nicely for the eggplant. Be sure it’s nice and hot.
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