Italian Eggplant Sandwich

This Italian Eggplant Sandwich is packed with flavor! Fresh mozzarella, basil pesto, juicy tomatoes and tapenade pair perfectly with eggplant.

This position was created in collaboration with farms in the village. All opinions are ours.

This sandwich is so irresistible that with just one bite it will be part of your kitchen repertoire. meet this Italian eggplant sandwich! Inspired by a small sandwich shop from a trip to Italy, this mighty sandwich has the best of Mediterranean flavors. Tender grilled or roasted aubergines, creamy fresh mozzarella, basil pesto and a unique flavor creator: the olive spread. Lay it all on focaccia bread, and this is what summertime dreams are for: perfect for patio parties, picnics, and beach throws. That’s how it’s done!

Ingredients for an eggplant sandwich

Even something as simple as a sandwich can get complicated the more components you add. We wanted this eggplant sandwich to be as simple as possible, so we carefully selected each component. The key is in the quality of the ingredients: make sure you use the best ingredients! Here are the secrets to making this eggplant sandwich:

1. tomatoes: Be sure to use the best quality ripe tomatoes! Here we used Sinfully Sweet Campari® tomatoes from Village Farms, essentially a large cherry tomato. Village Farms are sustainably grown, hydroponically grown tomatoes, and they taste better than any supermarket tomatoes we’ve found.
2. aubergine: To make this sandwich ultra soft, you can grill or bake your eggplant!
3. Basil pesto: Use your favorite brand or make it at home! Our favorite recipes are the best basil pesto, cashew pesto or walnut pesto.
4. olive spread: The “secret” aroma here is the olive spread, also called tapenade. You should be able to find it at your local grocery store. Or make our homemade Kalamata Olive Spread.
5. Better quality bread: Use the best bread you can find! Look for a homemade hoagie or focaccia bread.

Method 1: Make Grilled Eggplant!

There are two ways to cook eggplant for this eggplant sandwich: grilled and fried! Summer is all about throwing summer veggies on the grill. So if it’s that time of year and you have a grill, we recommend this method! It gives the aubergine a smoky nuance. Grilling vegetables can be tricky as timing depends on their thickness and the specific model and temperature of each grill. The most important thing is to be careful!

Here are some tips for grilling eggplants (or go to Grilled Eggplants):

• Preheat grill to medium-high heat (that’s 375 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Thinly slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds. The size is important: do not exceed the thickness or the eggplant will not be cooked.
• Rub with olive oil just before grilling. Don’t do this step ahead of time or the eggplant will soak up all the oil and become dry.
• Grill 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until tender and charred. Season with salt and enjoy!

Looking for more BBQ ideas? Try grilled dinner ideas Alfresco summer dinner recipes

Method 2: Prepare Fried Eggplants!

The other option is to roast your eggplant! This method is great because you can do it at any time of the year. It’s a little easier than grilling because you can just put it in the oven and it’s very convenient.

Here are some tips for roasting eggplants (or go to Roasted Eggplants):

• Chop: Slice the eggplant.
• Mix with olive oil and salt: Toss with ¼ cup olive oil and ¾ teaspoon salt. The eggplant absorbs the oil right away, so stir it in as soon as the oil reaches its pulp.
• Roast at 425 degrees: Cook until eggplant is browned and tender, turning slices once, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Make this eggplant sandwich gluten-free or vegan

This Eggplant Sandwich is a fantastic summer vegetarian recipe that you can adapt to other diets. Here’s what we recommend:

• Serve in a pile of eggplant (gluten-free). Try a low-carb version of this eggplant sandwich by skipping the bread and using the grilled eggplant as the base of the stack. This results in a beautiful tower of eggplant, tomato and mozzarella. Or serve it on leaf salads!
• Use vegan pesto and omit the mozzarella (or use vegan). Try our Easy Vegan Pesto or our Vegan Cashew Pesto. You can either omit the mozzarella (the sandwich has enough flavor on its own) or use your favorite vegan mozzarella.

Discover the farms of the village

Check out our grilled tomato and eggplant sandwich on the Village Farms website:

This eggplant sandwich recipe is…

Vegetarian and without refined sugar. For gluten free bread, use gluten free bread or omit the bread and serve in a stack. For vegans, omit the mozzarella and use vegan pesto.

Looking for more sandwich recipes?

Aside from this eggplant sandwich, here are a few other sandwich recipes we love:

Last update: May 2020