3 Vegan Crispy Eggplant Mediterranean Style Sandwiches
Crispy eggplant is so tasty and pairs well with many different food profiles thanks to its mild flavor. The sandwiches I will be making all have beautiful flavors already thanks to the vegetables and sauces in them, and therefore crispy breaded eggplant is the perfect addition that will not take away from the flavor profile. It’s like the chicken of grilled vegetables if you will!
I have recently eaten an incredible vegan sandwich that utilized fried eggplant as the main “meat replacement” and it was very delicious. However, I didn’t want to fry all my eggplant slices so this recipe is going to utilize a baked method. Therefore this is a very healthy whole-food-based meat alternative that I highly recommend trying out in your next panini-making adventure! I think you will be surprised by how much you enjoy these recipes.
To see my tips on how to create delicious crispy vegan baked eggplant slices, scroll to the bottom!
Mediterranean Eggplant Sandwich
Crispy Mediterranean eggplant sandwich that is vegan.
This vegan crispy eggplant sandwich is a filling explosion of Mediterranean flavors. The crispy eggplant adds that crunch and added savory filler, while the rest of the vegetables pop with flavor in this toasted panini classic. The melted vegan cheese adds that extra sense of indulgence as you bite into a pile of Mediterranean veggies.
Ingredients:
Bread of choice
Vegan butter
Spinach leaves
Roasted red peppers
Tomato slices
Kalamata olives
Sliced red onion
Vegan cheese
Crispy vegan eggplant slices
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Oregano
Hummus
To Assemble:
Butter the outside of 2 slices of bread.
On the inside of both slices spread your favorite hummus. I enjoyed using roasted red pepper hummus but olive or garlic hummus would also work well.
Add your vegan cheese slices
Add tomatoes slices, sprinkle with oregano
Add kalamata olives
Add red onion
Add roasted red peppers
Drizzle some balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Add spinach leaves
Enclose sandwich.
Cook on medium-low on a non-stick or cast iron pan. I like to use a small pan lid to press the panini down here and there. Cook until you have reached the level of toasted brown you want on your bread.
Vegan eggplant parmesan sandwich
Oh wow. This is so freakin tasty and so guilt-free as it’s vegan and completely packed with vegetables that were baked, not fried! And yet, it delivers massive amounts of comfort food goodness.
Vegan Crispy Baked Eggplant Parmesan Italian Panini
Crispy bread, loaded with marinara sauce, savory crispy eggplant bites, and melted vegan cheese goodness makes this panini an easy crowd-pleaser. Never forget, that fresh basil leaf elevates it to the next level.
Ingredients:
Bread of choice
Vegan butter
Marinara sauce
Oregano
Nutritional yeast
Crispy baked vegan eggplant slices
Vegan mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil leaves
To assemble:
Butter the outside of your bread of choice
Add marinara sauce to the inside of both bread slices
Add a good layer of crispy eggplant slices, sprinkled with additional oregano and nutritional yeast.
Add your vegan mozzarella cheese
Add fresh basil
Enclose sandwich.
Cook on medium-low on a cast-iron or nonstick pan. Use a small pot lid to gently press your panini.
Flip every couple of minutes until cheese has melted and bread is a dark toasted golden brown color.
italian Vegan Crispy eggplant Sandwich
Vegan Crispy Eggplant Sandwich
This vegan/vegetarian panini is insanely comforting! The crispy baked vegan eggplant pieces commingle seamlessly amongst the other flavors, adding a nice comfort food crunch in every bite. The balsamic vinegar helps the roast peppers and artichokes pop more. While the vegan cheese, mayo, and hummus deliver comforting savory goodness.
Feel free to really load up the toppings on this one, you won’t regret it.
Ingredients:
Bread of choice
Vegan butter
Roast pepper hummus or garlic hummus
Vegan Mayonnaise (or regular)
Vegan cheese (or regular)
Roast garlic cloves (2-3)
Artichoke hearts (rinsed from a can, I like to slice mine even smaller)
Roast red pepper slices (pat dry before using)
Balsamic Vinegar
Olives (green or black)
Arugula
Vegan crispy baked eggplant slices
To assemble:
Heat a light bit of oil on a cast iron or nonstick pan, keep the heat at medium-low to avoid burning
Butter outside of bread slices
On the inside slices spread the hummus of your choice on both slices and vegan mayonnaise on one slice.
Add your vegan cheese slices.
Add your roast red pepper.
Add 1 and a half garlic cloves chopped into smaller pieces.
Add artichoke hearts.
Drizzle a good amount of balsamic vinegar all over.
Add olives.
Add your crispy eggplant slices.
Add Arugala.
Enclose sandwich!
Put the sandwich on your medium-low heat pan. Use a smaller pot lit to gently press down your panini.
Flip every couple of minutes.
Serve with olives on the side if you like!
How to prepare your eggplant for baking
HOT TIPS for the most crispy results
For the sake of this recipe, I opted for a Japanese eggplant!
I chose this eggplant because the round slices won’t be as gargantuan as a regular eggplant. Beyond that Japanese eggplants seem to be less watery in general, which is a characteristic that is nice to have of your eggplant when you are trying to get it as crispy as possible.
You can still choose to use a regular eggplant if that is your preference, I personally don’t think it will turn out as amazing as it would if you were to use the Japanese eggplant.
Salt and pat dry your eggplant slices!
Slice your eggplant into rounds that are about 1/4 inch thick and proceed to lay them out on a drying rack/cooling rack. Once you have laid out your slices, be sure to sprinkle salt over each one of them. This step is in order to help extract extra liquid. The salt draws out the water and it will look like drops of condensation on the slice.
Let your salted slices sit on the rack for about 15 minutes and then pat fully dry with a towel, then flip them and repeat by salting the other side and waiting another 15 minutes (30 minutes total).
Moist cloth from patting dry eggplant slices for creating crispy baked texture.
To create Your Crispy eggplant slices
Seasoning/ All purpose flower Bowl
In one shallow bowl, you want 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and seasonings of your choice. I like to have fun with it. For this recipe, I combined the following for a chicken, Italian, parmesan vibe.
Nutritional yeast
Montreal chicken spices
Oregano
Basil
Onion powder
I’d say I used about a tsp for each but you can go as crazy or muted on the spices as you want! Most recipes simply call for 1 tsp of “Italian Seasoning”. It’s really up to you!
Vegan Egg Bowl
Use 1/2 cup of flaxseed mixed with 1 cup of water. Mix well for about a minute and let it sit for 10 minutes to get its egg-like consistency
Panko Bowl
1 & 1/2 cups of panko
To Assemble your vegan crispy eggplant bites
Take your patted dry slices and dip it in the flour spice mix. Then dip it in the Flax egg bowl, then in the panko bowl, then let it rest on your parchment-lined baking tray!
Repeat until fully done.
To cook your eggplant
Preheat your oven to 395 as you are busy preparing everything. Bake on each side for about 15 minutes.
After 30 ish minutes, you can take them out and set them on your drying/baking rack.
To Store crispy eggplant
After you’ve baked your vegan eggplant slices, they will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Plenty of time to assemble a few more paninis!
Do not freeze your slices! They will not be crispy anymore after taking defrosting them.
