This Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich is the ultimate meatless comfort food sandwich!
Welcome to my death row meal.
Honestly I don’t even know if that’s true, it would just be way too hard to decide what to eat as my final meal and I would probably end up ordering an enormous pile of food. Buuuuut this Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich would definitely make the list.
The filling is based on my Easy Eggplant Parmesan (which is seriously so easy, tell me why anyone is hand-breading eggplant ever??). I added mushrooms and onions because it makes it completely savory and filling without taking away from the eggplant flavor.
Add a toasted hoagie and you’ve got a warm, melty, messy, delicious sandwich straight from heaven. I like to balance it out with a spinach salad and some baby carrots.
This sandwich is great on it’s own, but here are a few ways to customize it!
- Skip the mushrooms and onions for a straight up classic eggplant parmesan sandwich
- Use whatever vegetables you love and have on hand – roasted red peppers or zucchini would be great
- Use your favorite store bought or homemade sauce, or really change it up with pesto or alfredo sauce
- Make it without cheese for a vegan sandwich option
- Skip the bread and enjoy over pasta or with a side salad
- Swap the eggplant with chicken for a meaty option (adjust your cooking time accordingly)
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- 2 eggplants, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the eggplant
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 whole wheat hoagie buns
- Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
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Heat the broiler to high and place a rack in the highest oven position.
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Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly brush both sides with olive oil. Broil 5-7 minutes per side or until soft and just beginning to brown. When the eggplant is done remove from the oven and move the oven rack to the middle position. Set the oven temperature to 400ºF.
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In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and the onions are soft, 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.
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Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour a little marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan and spread around evenly. Add the onion and mushroom mixture in an even layer, then top with the eggplant, slightly overlapping as necessary. Cover with the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella, then the breadcrumb mixture. Finally, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly and beginning to brown.
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In the last 5 minutes of baking, place opened hoagies on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned. Serve scoops of eggplant bake in toasted buns and top with chopped parsley if desired.
These remind me of the eggplant parmesan sandwiches my mom used to make when I was a kid. I can’t wait to make these myself. They look amazing!
It’s been a while since I’ve had eggplant but boy oh boy am I craving eggplant parm now! 😀 These sandwiches look so good!
I’m totally craving your eggplant sandwich right now! I love how easy, and forgiving it is. Will have to try this very soon, thanks for the recipe 🙂
Loving this idea! Already a fan of a good eggplant parmesan, but it never dawned on me to turn it into a sandwich. Can’t wait to try this!