Roasted Eggplant Sandwiches

Roasted Eggplant Sandwiches
4 from 1 ratings
Eggplants and onions are caramelized in the oven then refreshed with a sprinkling of lemon juice and chives. For a gourmet spin on this roasted veggie sandwich, slather the bread with pesto on one side and rosemary cannellini bean spread on the other. This recipe comes to us from Cara and Phoebe of Big Girls, Small Kitchen. See all sandwich recipes.
Servings
6
servings
Ingredients
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1/4 cup cashews, toasted
  • 2 cup chives, chopped
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt, to taste
  • one 15-ounce can cannellini white beans, drained and rinsed
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 teaspoon rosemary
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 medium-sized eggplants, quartered and cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 2 red onions, quartered and cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tablespoon chives
  • 1 loaf sourdough or country white bread, cut into 12 slices
Directions
  1. In a food processor, pulse the garlic and nuts together until chopped finely. Add the chives and lemon juice. Blend until the herbs have begun to break down and become incorporated.
  2. Slowly add the olive oil and pulse until the pesto reaches the desired consistency, adding more oil if necessary to break down the pecans and chives. Season with salt, to taste.
  3. In a food processor, pulse together the beans, lemon juice, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, and salt until puréed. If the mixture is still coarse, add another tablespoon of olive oil and purée until smooth.
  4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with a layer of parchment paper or foil.
  5. Toss the eggplant, onion, olive oil, and salt together in a large bowl. Spread the coated veggies on the baking sheet in 1 layer. Shake the pan to make sure the vegetables lie flat and have the maximum possible surface area exposed.
  6. Roast in the oven until the veggies become soft and fragrant, about 20 minutes. With a spatula, flip the vegetables so that they brown on the opposite side. Return the baking sheet to the oven until the vegetables are caramelized and browned, about 10-20 more minutes.
  7. Transfer the caramelized vegetables to a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice and chives until thoroughly coated.
  8. Lay 6 slices of bread on a work surface. Slather each with the chive pesto, if using, and divide the eggplant among the slices. Slather the remaining bread with the rosemary cannellini bean spread, if using, and close the sandwiches.