Eggplant Parmesan Grinder
I grew up on the greasy sub shop version of this and I have to say this is a big upgrade! This is the real deal, fresh baked rolls loaded with roasted, (not deep fried) eggplant, garlic, poblano and smoked mozzarella. Top the eggplant with panko and parmesan to give it that crispy finish without the heart-stopping grease.
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce-
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 small onion
- 2 gloves garlic
- 1 pinch dried oregano and thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Grinder
- 1 batch italian Rolls (recipe here)
- 2 small eggplants
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 cup panko
- 3–4 ounces parmesan cheese
- 4 slices low moisture mozzarella
Instructions
Tomato Sauce-
- Dice and sauté the onions in butter for about 10 minutes, until they begin to melt apart.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes
- Add the tomato paste and cook for another 10 minutes, adding the dried herbs. You want a very thick sauce so that it stays in the sandwich. A thin sauce will go everywhere!
Grinder-
- Slice and season your eggplant. Slice it thick as it will shrink
- Bake eggplant at 350 degrees until very tender all the way through, about 20-30 minutes.
- Once your eggplant is cooked through, top it with salt, pepper, panko and parmesan, and bake until golden brown.
- Spread your tomato sauce on one side of the roll and top with mozzarella. Place under the broiler to melt the cheese.
- load your eggplant, pepper and roasted garlic on the bare side, close it up and serve!
Notes
Working with eggplant: I’m often dismayed by the unnecessary and time consuming strategies for preparing eggplant. There is no bitter liquid that needs to be removed by salting, nor is it necessary to achieve a tender, pleasing result. The reason behind salting eggplant is that it breaks down the porous structure so that it doesn’t absorb oil and becomes greasy when you sauté it. The best way to avoid this is just not to sauté it. Instead, eggplant should be roasted or steamed whole, or sliced. Also, the skin helps hold it together and is perfectly delicious and nutritious, so save yourself the extra step and leave it intact.