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Enjoy a quick, cafe-quality lunch with this pressed eggplant sandwich with a flavorful pesto spread. All you need is the pesto (of course), mozzarella, grilled eggplant, roasted bell pepper, and a big stack of books to turn eggplant into pressed Mediterranean deliciousness.
save this recipe!I used to get pressed eggplant sandwiches only at the local bodega. That is, until I realized that books are quite heavy and could probably press an eggplant.
What came next is only what I can describe as an unhealthy obsession with pressed eggplant sandwiches. This one is packed with fresh pesto, zucchini, roasted red peppers, and more for the ultimate taste of the Mediterranean! Enough talk – let’s cook!
Grab these ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are all really budget-friendly! Jump to the recipe card for the quantities.
- Eggplant: Look for ones that are about 2 softballs in size.
- Zucchini: It wouldn’t be a summer sandwich without this! The smaller zucchinis are generally sweeter, so opt for those.
- Olive Oil: This is for grilling the eggplant and the bell peppers.
- Red Bell Pepper: When roasted, these become quite sweet. Any color will work, I just like red for the brightness.
- Ciabatta: These rolls are thicker, so they can withstand the pesto and heavier fillings. Be sure to toast each side.
- Pesto: Homemade is always best but store-bought will work.
- Cheese: You’ll need both fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese and parmesan.
how to make a pressed eggplant sandwich
Here’s a quick rundown of how to do it. Jump to the recipe card for the full instructions.
- Prep the veggies by grilling them briefly.
- Roast the pepper by also grilling it, but then wrap it in plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Then you can peel off the charred skin easily.
- Assemble your sandwich.
- Press the sandwich with heavy books and pans for at least 2 hours. Be sure to wrap it first in plastic wrap.
more ways to enjoy eggplant
Pressed Eggplant Sandwiches With Pesto
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!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Did the succulents survive?
They did! Well they appear to have. You never know with succulents. But with my green thumb they’ll be dead in a week.