topped with bacon and a mustard glaze, skinless chicken breasts.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup water
- 1 large long eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/3 inch thick slices
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 ounces fresh goat cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp provolone cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup pomegranate molasses
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Coat two large baking sheets with olive oil.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the panko crumbs, salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Place the flour in a third bowl. Coat each slice of eggplant with flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg, and finally coat with panko crumbs. Place on the oiled baking sheets.
- Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn over the slices and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool slightly, but leave the oven on.
- While the eggplant is baking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until almost tender, then add the garlic. Cook for just about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the goat cheese, provolone cheese, parsley and basil. Season with pepper.
- Divide the cheese mixture among 8 slices of the eggplant (half). Spread to cover, then top with remaining eggplant slices, pressing to compact. Return to the baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven until eggplant is crisp, about 15 minutes. Place two sandwiches onto each serving plate, and drizzle with pomegranate molasses.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 620 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 74 g |
| Cholesterol | 97 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Sodium | 1922 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 30 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I made it with one slight change. Substituted smoked gouda for the provolone. Love the recipe.
So far it is excellent ,I almost burn it but didn’t Can’t wait to share
My husband and I absolutely loved these sandwiches. We didn’t use the molasses but followed the recipe exactly. Great crispy crunch! We will make again soon.
I added sautéed mushrooms to the “sandwiches”, but kept the rest the same minus the pomegranate syrup. Awesome recipe that we’ll definitely make again.
I figured up the calories and it equals about 103 per eggplant slice. Very delicious. Even used the eggplant in a mock eggplant parmesan. (SP) Very good also.
We love this recipe! Just press copious amounts of panko onto the eggplant and proceed. I used feta in the amounts specified for both cheeses. the second time I made it is added spinach, so good! Thanks for a keeper! Plan to make some pomegranate molasses next time, though I don’t think it could get much better.
So good! My husband and teenaged sons liked it, too. I baked the eggplant as directed and put slices of provolone and goat cheese in between two slices and baked a few minutes more. As I have an abundance of summer tomatoes, I used them to make a sauce to serve over the top of the eggplant sandwiches. I sauteed Vidalia onions and garlic in olive oil, added about 4 medium tomatoes, diced, to the pan. Seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh basil and parsley along with a pinch of sugar. Simmered until tomatoes were soft and flavors were blended. We will add this in to regular dinner rotation!
The batter measurements are absurdly overestimated- cut the flour and bread crumbs in half or more.
Very good with a great texture! I reduced salt and used feta cheese instead of goat cheese since that was what I had on hand. Omitted the molasses. I was estimating dried herbs on the fly and think I could have added a bit more. I will try again with fresh herbs and update, but otherwise I really enjoyed it. Great variation on eggplant!
Made some changes but totally awesome recipe. Added sauteed spinach, and tried a instant potato coating. Its the bomb. No pomegranate molasses but I’m very happy how mine turned out.
This recipe was indeed tasty and my boyfriend requests it often. The difference is though… he didn’t cook it! My issue with this was it felt more like a snack… not a meal, and it surely took more than 15 minutes of prep time. I ended up eating and then finishing off the rest of the eggplants after my first serving only because it was taking too long. Like I said though it was yummy and worth it if you’ve got a craving for cheese and/or eggplant. Also- I didn’t use the pomegranate molasses (no idea what the heck that is).
loved these! I didn’t put the molasses on. Also, I couldn’t get the breadcrumbs to stick on well so I added more on after I flipped them in the oven and they seemed to stay. I would put a little less salt and pepper in the breadcrumbs next time. Great recipe!!
I modified my recipe by adding sauted squash and mushrooms to my “sandwich.”
Made the exactly as it as written. Except no added salt, it’s not needed in this recipe. I used the pomegranate molasses recipe from this site as well, really easy with only 3 ingredients. Would be great as an appetizer, just making the eggplant slices smaller. Quite possibly one of the best recipes I have found on this site. Thank you!
This was a nice break from the same old dinners. It was a great sandwich although the leftovers didn’t hold up so well. I didn’t have pomegranite molasses and didn’t use anything as a substitute.
These were so delish! It did take me a long time to make. Longer than the prep and cook time, but I think I’m slower and more meticulous than some people. The adjustments I made were minor, but for other cooks I’ll list them. I made mine for 3 servings – used 1 cup of quinoa flakes since I only had 1/2 cup of panko – this was a very good addition. I used dried basil and did reduce salt by 1/2 teaspoon, which I thought was just right. My provolone cheese was not the sharp kind – it was the smoked kind. The pomegranate molasses is a very nice flavorful touch and the recipe for making some is on this website. It lasts in the refrigerator for a long time [kind of like simple syrup does.] I had a great beer with it Blanche De Bruxelles – Biere Blanche White Beer. Yummy! Final note – this tastes close to a wonderful sandwich we have eaten at a local Mediterranean restaurant called Cafe Rakka in Hendersonville, TN – which was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” back in Oct. – except theirs is on pita bread. Again amazing – thank you Joenaujokas.
Pomegranate molasses is tangy not sweet, so cannot be replaced with any other molasses. I would replace it with tamarind soaked in water or balsamic vinegar if I don’t have pomegranate molasses. Also, Halloumi cheese (which is goat cheese) goes well with eggplant not any other type of goat cheese. If I don’t have halloumi cheese, I would use mozzarella cheese not a goat cheese.
This is my new favorite eggplant recipe! It takes a little time, but they are sooo good. I used feta instead of goat cheese and didn’t use the molasses. There was no need for any topping. These would be great as appetizer bites if you used baby eggplants.
I couldn’t find any pomegranate molasses (where do you get that?), but followed the recipe otherwise exactly. They were wonderful! I will make again, except I think I will either cut the salt in half or eliminate completely to test (they weren’t too salty, but I’ll try to eliminate the salt & see if it doesn’t sacrifice any flavor). Thank you!
I simplified this recipe a bit in the interest of time, and also substituted feta cheese in place of the goat cheese. I did not have pomegranae molasses, so I tried it both with regular molasses and with ketchup. As I prepared it, I would give this a 3, but as written, I expect it would be better — hence the rating of 4.