• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

our recipes + your inbox = the eatmail

Join now

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

  • About
  • Contact

Live Eat Learn

Easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time

free ebook

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

  • Recipe Index
  • Vegetarian 101
  • Travel
  • Meal Plans
  • Course
    • Breakfasts
    • Lunches
    • Dinners
    • Appetizers
    • Sweets
    • Drinks
  • Diet
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Low Carb
    • Paleo
    • Raw
    • Vegan
  • Season
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
  • Ingredient
    • Avocado
    • Bean
    • Cauliflower
    • Chickpeas
    • Eggplant
    • Mushroom
    • Tofu
    • Quinoa
    • View All
  • Collections
    • All Time Favorites
    • Air Frying
    • Budget Friendly
    • Comfort Food
    • High Protein
    • Meal Prep
    • Meatless Monday
    • View All
  • Visit our kombucha site
    Visit our dog food blog
Home Eat Dinners

Pressed Eggplant Sandwiches

4.50 from 2 votes
Recipe Print Share
Share on:
By: Sarah BondUpdated: Oct 08, 2020 2 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Pressed eggplant sandwich on a cutting board

Who knew your could make a Pressed Eggplant Sandwich with a stack of books? Pesto, mozzarella, grilled eggplant, and roasted bell pepper pressed into Mediterranean deliciousness.

Pressed eggplant sandwich in a bowl

This is a pressed ciabatta bread sandwich with a lot of Mediterranean goodness. Fresh pesto, eggplant, zucchini, mozzarella, roasted red bell pepper, the list goes on.

Pressed eggplant sandwich in a bowl

It’s summertime, so we’re gonna start on the grill (though if you don’t have a grill, the stove top makes an okay substitute). Roasting a pepper is one of my favorite things to cook. Because you are SUPPOSED to burn it.

How great is that? I can go off into Sarah la la land and completely forget that I’m cooking and come back to a black bell pepper and it’s TOTALLY OKAY! So you burn up your pepper, grill your zucchini and eggplant, and you’re on your way.

Grilled veggies to make a pressed sandwich

Then there are the cheeses. Oh the cheese! Get yourself a hunk of fresh buffalo mozzarella and cut it into 1/4 inch thick slabs. Then find a nice chunk of aged Parmesan and slice off a few pieces of that. Now we’re really getting somewhere.

Pressed eggplant sandwich on a cutting board

Split a fresh (fresher = less chewy = less likely to break your jaw) loaf of ciabatta in half then spread some Pesto Genovese on the top piece. On the bottom piece layer on mozzarella, eggplant, zucchini, roasted red bell pepper pieces, and parmesan.

Whoa Bessy that’s a lot! But that’s not even the fun part. Now you’re gonna wrap the sandwich up real tight with plastic wrap and set a bunch of heavy books or a cast iron skillet on it. Let the sandwich press for about 2 hours, unwrap, slice, and enjoy!

Pressed eggplant sandwich on a cutting board
Pressed eggplant sandwich on a cutting board

Pressed Eggplant Sandwich

4.50 from 2 votes
Prep: 2 hours 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 2 hours 40 minutes
Author: Sarah Bond
Calories: 540kcal
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Print Rate
Who knew your could make a Mediterranean pressed eggplant sandwich with a stack of books? Pesto, mozzarella, grilled eggplant, and roasted bell pepper!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 eggplant
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil 15 mL
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 large loaf ciabatta bread
  • 4 Tbsp pesto
  • 4 oz buffalo mozzarella cheese sliced into 1/4 inch slabs
  • 2 oz parmesan about 1/4 cup, sliced

Instructions 

  • Prep Veggies: Slice eggplant and zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 inch slabs. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and grill about 5 minutes, until soft and slightly charred.
  • Roast Pepper: Place red bell pepper directly onto grill. Cook 10 to 20 minutes, rotating often, until outside is blackened. Place pepper in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside 20 minutes. Remove skin and seeds from pepper and slice into strips.
  • Assemble: Slice ciabatta in half lengthwise and spread pesto onto top half. On bottom half, layer on mozzarella, eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper slices, then parmesan. You do not have to use all of each ingredient and you may have some leftovers.
  • Press: Wrap sandwich tightly with plastic wrap. In an area free from breakables, set a few heavy books on top of the sandwich, and allow the sandwich to press about 2 hours. Unwrap sandwich, slice into 4 pieces, and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

Store leftovers sandwiches in fridge, but best if eaten right away as the ciabatta gets chewier with time. Got leftover veggies? Throw them into some fresh cooked pasta, stir in pesto, and sprinkle with parmesan. It’s like the pressed sandwich’s fraternal twin!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1sandwich Calories: 540kcal (27%) Carbohydrates: 70g (23%) Protein: 23g (46%) Fat: 22g (34%) Sodium: 899mg (39%) Fiber: 6g (25%)
Did You Make This?

Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!

Tag on Insta! Leave a Rating Pin on Pinterest

You may also like...

  • These Eggplant Parmesan Poppers have all the deliciousness of eggplant parmesan, in bite-sized form!
    Eggplant Parmesan Poppers
  • Meal prep container with zucchini noodles on white background - This Zucchini Noodles Vegetarian Meal Prep is a low carb lunch solution that will have you looking forward to lunchtime! Packed with fresh veggies, avocado pesto, and crispy baked tofu.
    13 Vegetarian Meal Prep Recipes
  • Collage of vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes
    31 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Collage of vegetarian easter recipes
    27 Vegetarian Easter Recipes
Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Rate this Recipe:




  1. Mama says

    Posted on 7/21 at 7:19 pm

    Did the succulents survive?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 7/23 at 1:07 am

      They did! Well they appear to have. You never know with succulents. But with my green thumb they’ll be dead in a week.

Primary Sidebar

Hello

I'm Sarah

A flavor-loving nutritionist and sensory science specialist showing you how to make easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time.

Let's Meet

Freebie alert!

3 reader-favorite cookbooks delivered straight to your inbox.

Get in now!

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

Air Fryer Recipes

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Plate full of crispy chickpeas with a wooden spoon.

15 Minute Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas

Personal size mozzarella pizza cooked in an air fryer

Air Fryer Pizza

Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

Brussels sprouts on a plate with wooden serving spoons.

The Best 15 Minute Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

Kale chips on a white plate.

10 Minute Air Fryer Kale Chips

Dinner This Week

Vegan tikka masala with naan and rice in a white bowl

M

Chickpea Tikka Masala

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

T

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

Vegan Thai red curry in a bowl on a red background

W

Thai Vegetarian Coconut Curry

Vegan nachos on a black plate on a white background - These vegan nachos are piled high with easy mushroom BBQ "pulled pork" and a cashew-based queso cheese sauce that will knock your dairy-free socks off.

R

BBQ Mushroom Pulled Pork

Roasted Cauliflower Street Tacos

F

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

Lemon risotto in a bowl with basil on a yellow background

S

Lemon Basil Risotto

As featured on:

3 bonus books!

Join our Eatmail newsletter to get free copies of our top 3 cookbooks, new recipes, exclusive meal plans, and more!

Follow Along

  • Easy Vegetarian Facebook Group
  • Kombucha Brewers Facebook Group
Back to Top
  • Web Stories
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Collaborate
© 2023 Live Eat Learn
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled Support by Foodie Digital
14.2K shares