Best 7 The Best Fried Eggplant Sandwich Recipes

FRIED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Peel 2 small eggplants and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Put 1 cup flour in a shallow bowl, beat 4 eggs in another bowl and put 1 cup breadcrumbs in another. Coat the eggplant in flour, then egg (let any excess drip off), then breadcrumbs. Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant in batches until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side (add more oil if necessary). Drain on a rack and sprinkle with salt.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Slice the eggplants into ½" thick disks. If you have the time, season the slices with salt and set aside on rack to "drain" for 30 minutes. Wipe the salt and excess moisture off with paper towel. If you don't have the time, you can get away with not doing this step, but you'll need to season the eggplant more aggressively in later steps.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Place the flour in a dredging bowl. Place the panko, oregano, and garlic powder in another dredging bowl, and stir to combine. In a third bowl, whisk together the eggs with a pinch of salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of water.
• Dredge the eggplant slices in the flour, shake off the excess, then in the egg, shake off the excess, then into the panko bread crumbs. Set aside.
• Heat up a skillet over medium heat, and fill with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan about ¼" up. Place a single layer of eggplant slices into the skillet and fry for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Make sure to watch that the eggplant slices aren't burning, and adjust the heat up or down as needed.
• Place the fried eggplant slices on a tray, season with salt and pepper, then keep in the warm oven while you finish frying all batches of eggplant. Add more olive oil to the skillet as needed.
• When you're done frying all the eggplant, remove the eggplant from the oven and increase the temperature to 350 degrees F.
• To assemble each sandwich, slice a ciabatta roll in half, then put on a single layer of eggplant slices. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then add a couple spoonfuls of grated parmesan, then a couple spoonfuls of marinara sauce, then a single layer of sliced mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil, then put the top of the sandwich on and bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is melty. Tuck a few basil leaves into each sandwich, then enjoy!

EGGPLANT PARM SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Have two racks set up in the oven.
• Place 3/4 of the tomatoes and 2 garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Roast until the tomatoes burst and start to caramelize, about 30 minutes. Peel the roasted garlic and puree with the tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor to make the sauce.
• Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Peel the eggplant top-to-bottom in alternating strips, so that some of the skin is left on, and slice into 1/3 inch rounds. Dip only one side of each round into the egg white and then into the crushed melba toast. Lay out on the sheet tray, crumb-side up. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spray with more cooking spray. Bake until just tender, about 25 minutes.
• Dice the remaining 1/4 of tomatoes, and toss with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil leaves and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat the broiler. Place the toasted ciabatta halves on a baking sheet cut-side up. Cut the remaining garlic clove in half and rub on the bread. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce on top of each ciabatta half, then top with 3 or 4 overlapping slices of eggplant, 2 more tablespoons sauce, shredded mozzarella, and grated parmesan. Broil until the cheese melts and starts to bubble, about 3 minutes. Top each open-faced sandwich with the fresh tomato and basil salad.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Have two racks set up in the oven.
• Place 3/4 of the tomatoes and 2 garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Roast until the tomatoes burst and start to caramelize, about 30 minutes. Peel the roasted garlic and puree with the tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor to make the sauce.
• Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Peel the eggplant top-to-bottom in alternating strips, so that some of the skin is left on, and slice into 1/3 inch rounds. Dip only one side of each round into the egg white and then into the crushed melba toast. Lay out on the sheet tray, crumb-side up. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spray with more cooking spray. Bake until just tender, about 25 minutes.
• Dice the remaining 1/4 of tomatoes, and toss with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil leaves and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat the broiler. Place the toasted ciabatta halves on a baking sheet cut-side up. Cut the remaining garlic clove in half and rub on the bread. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce on top of each ciabatta half, then top with 3 or 4 overlapping slices of eggplant, 2 more tablespoons sauce, shredded mozzarella, and grated parmesan. Broil until the cheese melts and starts to bubble, about 3 minutes. Top each open-faced sandwich with the fresh tomato and basil salad.

THE FRANKIES' FRIED EGGPLANT SANDWICH

Steps:

• In a large deep saucepan over medium low heat, combine 1/4 cup oil and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden and fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in chile flakes; cook 30 seconds.
• While garlic cooks, place tomatoes and juices in a large bowl and crush with clean hands. Remove tomatoes' firm stem ends and any basil leaves packed into the can. Stir crushed tomatoes and salt into pot. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until tomatoes and garlic have completely broken down and sauce is thick, about 2 hours. Cool.
• Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment or paper towels. Trim stem end from eggplants; peel and discard skin. Using a knife or a Japanese mandolin, slice lengthwise into 3/16-inch-thick slabs. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides of eggplant slices with salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Pat eggplant dry with paper towels.
• Line another rimmed baking sheet with paper towel and place a wire rack on top. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/2 cup oil until a drop of water flicked into pan sizzles. Working in batches, fry eggplant until just tender, 20 to 30 seconds per side. Transfer fried eggplant to rack to drain. Remove skillet from heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano and 2 tablespoons pecorino. Add 3/4 cup oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until oil is sizzling.
• Working in batches, dip drained eggplant into egg batter; fry in oil until lightly golden and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per batch. You will know oil is hot enough if batter puffs and sticks to eggplant on contact with oil. If it falls off, the oil isn't hot enough.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan. Arrange eggplant over the bottom of pan in a tight, even layer. Top with 1/3 of the remaining combined cheeses. Repeat layer of sauce, eggplant and 1/3 of cheese. Finish with a final layer of sauce and cheese (reserve any remaining sauce for serving). Transfer pan to oven and bake until cheese is melted and golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven; Spoon additional sauce over top, and garnish with additional cheese. Cool for at least 20 minutes.
• Cut eggplant into six equal pieces. Cut ciabatta into six pieces equal to the size of the eggplant servings. Split each portion of the ciabatta horizontally and toast. Sandwich eggplant portions between bread and serve.

FRIED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch thick slices. Line two large sheet trays with paper towels and lay the slices on top in a single layer. Season with a light sprinkle of salt all over both sides of the eggplant. Set aside for 45 minutes, then pat each slice dry with a paper towel.
• Meanwhile, place the flour on a plate. In a wide shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. In another wide, shallow bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
• Working 2 to 3 eggplant slices at a time, dredge in the flour to coat completely, dip in the egg mixture, then coat in the panko breadcrumb mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 200°.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet filled with about 1/4-inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Heat until very hot (about 350 degrees). Working in batches, cook 4 to 5 slices of eggplant in a single layer until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes total. Remove from the oil and transfer to a wire rack set over a sheet tray (or a sheet tray lined with paper towels). Hold the fried eggplant warm in the oven. Continue to fry the eggplant slices, adding more oil as needed to the skillet.
• Sprinkle with parsley and season with salt to taste. Serve alongside marinara sauce if you like.

EASY FRIED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in crumbs, and place in hot oil. Fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

DEEP-FRIED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Place eggplant rounds in an even layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 10 minutes. Rinse under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place 1 piece of mozzarella on half of the eggplant, followed by 1 piece of basil; sandwich with remaining eggplant.
• Heat oil in a deep saucepan until it reaches 325 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Place flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs each in separate shallow dishes. Coat each eggplant sandwich evenly with flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip in eggs, followed by breadcrumbs to coat.
• Working in batches, gently place eggplant sandwiches into hot oil and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Cut each sandwich into 4 equal portions; serve with tomato sauce.