Eggplant Sandwich with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

This vegetarian Eggplant Sandwich will be your new favorite healthy lunch. It’s made with goat cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto!

I really wanted to add more sandwiches to my website, and knew I needed a bomb veggie option that even meat-eaters would love. Well, this Eggplant Sandwich is it, filled with roasted red peppers and fresh arugula.

The eggplant is sliced super thin, so it gets slightly crispy in the broiler, but still maintains its meatiness. I created it this way for a couple reasons. One, slicing it thin reduces cooking time. Why not get lunch on the table quicker? Two, it makes for an interesting texture compared to classic thicker toasted eggplant planks.

Make your own sun-dried tomato pesto or use your favorite store-bought version. I prefer making it from scratch, and I have an amazing and easy recipe, which you can find right here.

Ingredient Notes:

• Eggplant – I used one particularly large eggplant for this recipe to make two sandwiches. If you can’t find one large, buy two small.
• Goat Cheese – My absolute favorite goat cheese is Meredith Dairy Sheet & Goat Cheese, which you can find at many grocery stores, including Whole Foods. It’s super soft and spreadable and has the most incredible flavor. High recommend!
• Sourdough – This is my preferred type of bread for this recipe. Gjusta, near me in Venice Beach makes an excellent gluten-free sourdough. Schar also makes a great sourdough, which you can buy here. But if you prefer a baguette or white bread, you can definitely use that instead.
• Roasted Red Peppers – Feel free to freshly roast them yourself, or buy a jar already roasted.
• Balsamic Glaze – Not regular balsamic vinegar, but the balsamic glaze that’s thicker which you can drizzle. It can be found at most grocery stores, but you can also order it here.
• Arugula – I love and prefer the peppery freshness that arugula brings to this sandwich, but you can use any crunchy green you’d like.
• Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto – I love my homemade recipe, but you can buy store-bought if you don’t want to make your own.

Eggplant Sandwich with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 2 sandwiches

Equipment

• 1 Sheet Pan
• Paper Towels
• 1 Food Processor (I used a mini one)

Ingredients

  

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For the Sandwiches:

• 1 large eggplant ends trimmed, thinly sliced lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
• Kosher salt
• Avocado oil
• Goat cheese to taste, at room temperature
• 4 slices sourdough toasted
• 1 ½ whole roasted red peppers depending on size, cut into quarters lengthwise
• Balsamic glaze to taste
• 2 handfuls baby arugula
• Sun-dried tomato pesto to taste, recipe below

For the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto (makes ¾ cup):

• 1 oz. raw walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
• 12 sundried tomato halves
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

For the Sandwiches:

• Adjust the rack to top position and preheat the oven to broil at 500°F.
• Lay the eggplant flat onto a sheet pan and sprinkle Kosher salt generously over both sides. Let sit for 30 minutes, then dry each piece well with paper towels, including the sheet pan.
• Drizzle avocado oil on the sheet pan, then lay eggplant pieces flat onto the sheet pan and drizzle each piece lightly with avocado oil. Broil for 5-7 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
• Spread a layer of goat cheese on one piece of freshly toasted sourdough. Top with half the eggplant slices then as many roasted red peppers as you’d like. Drizzle with a little bit of balsamic glaze, then top with arugula. Spread as much of the sun-dried tomato pesto as you’d like on a second piece of toasted sourdough and place on top of the arugula. Cut the sandwich in half, if desired, and repeat process for the second sandwich.

For the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto:

• Place the walnuts, garlic, Parmesan, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and water in the bowl of the food processor (I used a mini one). Puree until as smooth as desired. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Notes

Cooked eggplant can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. 

Once sandwiches are made, it is best to serve them immediately.

Keyword easy, healthy, Vegetarian

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!