Cheesy Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches Recipes

CHEESY GRILLED EGGPLANT SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium.
• In a large bowl, toss the eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Grill, turning once, until softened, about 4 minutes.
• Lay the bread on a work surface.
• Top 4 slices with a layer each of cheese, prosciutto, eggplant and another layer of prosciutto and cheese.
• Top with the remaining bread slices.
• Brush the outside of the sandwiches with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Grill, covered, turning once, until crisp, about 2 minutes.

GRILLED CHEESE WITH EGGPLANT AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Slice Italian bread info 8 thick slices. Slice each tomato into 4 slices.
• Remove some of the skin from the eggplant, leaving the rest of the skin on for a striped look. Slice the eggplant into eight 1/2-inch rounds.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season eggplant with salt and pepper; cook until soft, about 5 minutes per side. Watch that it does not burn. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Spread ricotta over 4 slices of bread. Top each with 2 eggplant slices and 2 tomato slices. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper. Tear 2 basil leaves over each sandwich. Add 4 slices of fontina cheese. Spread butter over the remaining slices of bread and place over the cheese, buttered sides up.
• Melt remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sandwiches to the skillet with the dry side down. Cover with a piece of foil and place a heavy pan on top. Toast sandwiches for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip over and cover again. Cook until cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes more.

OPEN-FACE GRILLED EGGPLANT SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Light a grill. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and grill over high heat until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a platter.
• Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat until charred on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and grill until tender, about 3 minutes longer.
• Top the eggplant with the tomato, mozzarella and basil. Cover the grill and cook until the cheese melts, 2 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to the bread, sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

GRILLED EGGPLANT & PORTOBELLO SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat grill to medium-high.
• Mash garlic into a paste on a cutting board with the back of a spoon. Combine with mayonnaise and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Coat both sides of eggplant rounds and mushroom caps with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables, turning once, until tender and browned on both sides: 2 to 3 minutes per side for eggplant, 3 to 4 minutes for mushrooms. When cool enough to handle, slice the mushrooms.
• Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons of the garlic mayonnaise on each piece of bread. Layer the eggplant, mushrooms, arugula (or spinach) and tomato slices onto 4 slices of bread and top with the remaining bread.

GRILLED EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND 2-CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Wash and trim eggplant. Cut into 4 long slices and parboil in water to cover for 1 minute. Drain.
• Wash, trim and slice zucchini lengthwise into 4 slices.
• Prepare double-size stovetop grill and spray the slices on one side with pan spray. Arrange them on the grill sprayed side down, and grill on the stovetop grill for a couple of minutes. Spray and turn and grill a few more minutes, until tender.
• Slice crust from ends of the bread. Cut into 4 long slices.
• Coarsely grate the cheeses.
• Remove the zucchini from the grill; set aside.
• Mix the anchovy paste with the vinegar.
• Spread the eggplant slices on one side with anchovy mixture, then spray with pan spray and grill on stovetop over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until browned.
• Grill the bread on both sides.
• Chop the basil. Prepare and slice each tomato into 4 thick slices.
• Turn the eggplant and brush with vinegar-anchovy mixture, then spray with pan spray and grill a couple of minutes, until browned on the other side.
• Arrange the eggplant, mozzarella, zucchini, Parmigiano, tomatoes and basil on each of two slices. Season with pepper. Top with remaining bread and cut in half.