Vegetarian Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich
I visit my local produce market, Broad Street Market, every week to take advantage of the local farmers freshest offerings. This week I found these beautiful, purple eggplants. Chicken Parmesan is popular at our house, so a simple swap of meat for vegetables made this sandwich happen.
Thick half inch chunks of sliced eggplant get a breading of panko crumbs, shredded Parmesan and spices.
Because eggplant gets soft when cooked, I wanted to make sure it had a crispy crust. The secret to getting the egg and panko crust to adhere to a smooth surface like this is to dust with flour first. It allows everything to adhere and stay put during the coating and cooking.
While the eggplant is cooking, I cut soft, Western rolls in half and lay on foil. Each sandwich gets layered with the eggplant rounds, provolone cheese and my favorite tomato sauce. You can substitute your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce. A couple minutes under the broiler melts it all together and toasts the roll.
