Black & Decker Ultimate Sandwich Recipe Contest: Caro's Eggplant Parm Sandwich

This is my entry into the Black & Decker Ultimate Sandwich Recipe Contest. I was one of the 50 bloggers chosen to receive a Black & Decker Convection Toaster Oven and submit an entry.

The recipes will be judged on the yumminess of the sandwich, creative use of ingredients and originality. Bad part is they are also judging on how yummy the sandwich looks. I am not a great food photographer so hopefully my pictures look okay! Once the judging is over, the judges will choose 4-5 blogger recipes and recreate them and then judge them on taste. The blogger with the yummiest sandwich will win a $1,000 cash prize and have their recipe professionally photographed and included in a nationally distributed back-to-school themed feature release this summer! Cool.

You all know I can't follow a recipe to save my life and then to have to create one is sort of a challenge but I did it. The hard part was coming up with a sandwich recipe. I put a lot of thought into what to make then one day while watching a TV show where someone was eating Eggplant Parmesan, I had a brainstorm.

I love Eggplant Parmesan but it is a lot of work to make it so I rarely do. I wondered if I could make a sandwich with the same ingredients and actually make it work. I figured I could deconstruct the dish and try to pt it all back together in a sandwich form. It actually worked. Here is my recipe.



Caro's Eggplant Parm Sandwich

Ingredients* (to make 2 sandwiches, just double the ingredients)

4 slices of eggplant, thinly sliced
2 slices tomatoes
2 slices Italian Tuscan style bread (or any crusty bread)
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of Ragu spaghetti sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce)
1/4 cup of Olive oil
Fresh Basil leaves
Butter
Salt
Pepper

Directions

Thinly slice eggplant. You will need about 4 slices per sandwich. Completely coat the eggplant slices in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook eggplant in toaster oven at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Finish the eggplant off by broiling 3 more minutes to brown.
Put aside. Take the bread slices and butter one side of the bread. Add the shredded Parmesan on top. Take the bread and toast it in the toaster oven for about 5-7 minutes. Make sure the Parmesan cheese is melted and the bottom toasted. You want the bread toasted well so it can hold up to the tomato sauce.

Start putting your sandwich together by taking the spaghetti sauce and smearing some on both toasted bread slices. Then place the eggplant slices on one slice of bread. Top with Mozzarella cheese. On the other slice of bread add the tomatoes and top with more mozzarella cheese.
Put into and broil for about 3-5 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese has melted and becomes soft. Take both slices out of the oven. Add the fresh basil leaves and put the sandwich together. Slice. Serve with a side of sauce and enjoy!

Let me tell you that I was not sure how this was going to work. It can get a little messy with the tomato sauce and melted cheese but it was so good. It really tasted like eggplant Parmesan but it was much easier to make. The bread with Parmesan cheese is a great substitute for the breading you normally use on the eggplant. And the flavors really melded together for a delicious mouthful! Buen Provecho!


This post was written for Family Review Network & Black & Decker who provided the complimentary product for participation in this contest. All opinions are my own as is my recipe!