Open-Faced Eggplant and Tomato Sandwiches
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I don’t think I’ve ever been so enamored with the eggplant! We are major carnivores and have been trying to make more meat-less dishes. When cooked correctly, eggplant is tender and meaty which makes it a perfect meat substitute. I made the eggplant two ways (baked and sautéed) because I was curious, and I included tutorials for both. These Open-Faced Eggplant and Tomato Sandwiches were so satisfying!
I asked my friends on Instagram what their favorite eggplant dish was. Lana of Bumble Boutique and Yana P shared this awesome sandwich idea with me. I’m always on the lookout for new and creative ideas (as you know) and I love your willingness to share good things with me. 🙂
Ingredients for Eggplant and Tomato Sandwiches:
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 tsp sea salt
Pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
2 eggs for egg wash
Oil for sautéing (I used grape seed oil)
2 Chiabatta rolls or Torta sandwich rolls (one half for each sandwich)
4 Tbsp mayo
1 garlic clove
1 large tomato, sliced
Toppings:
Carrot Salad (a generous pinch)
Fresh cilantro leaves
Fresh basil leaves (what I used here)
Chopped fresh green onion
There are two ways to cook the eggplant:
Baking method (super easy and best for feeding larger crowds):
1. Preheat Oven to 450˚F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place rack in the middle of your oven.
2. Season each eggplant on both sides lightly with sea salt and pepper. Brush both sides generously with extra light olive oil.
3. Bake at 450˚F for 12-15 min or until the slices are soft and browning on the bottom (I flipped some over in the next picture so you could see the browned bottoms). Remove the eggplant from the oven and set aside to cool.
Sautéing Method:
1. Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch slices and sprinkle each side evenly with sea salt and pepper.
2. Set up your dipping station: pour flour in a flat bottomed dish. In a separate flat bottomed bowl, use a fork to beat your two eggs (this is your egg wash)
3. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium/high heat. Fill it with 1/4″ oil and let the oil heat up before adding anything to the pan.
4. Dip both sides of your eggplant into flour, then dip it into the beaten eggs (the egg keeps the eggplant from soaking up oil).
5. Saute your eggplant in batches. Use a spatula to slide them into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides (about 3-4 minutes per side), turning once. Drain eggplant on paper towels. Add more oil if necessary until finished sautéing.
To assemble the eggplant sandwiches:
1. In a small bowl, combine 4 Tbsp Mayo and press in 1 garlic clove. Mix well and set aside.
2. Toast the cut side of each chiabatta sandwich roll until golden brown.Remove from pan and once it has cooled down a bit, spread about 1 Tbsp of garlicky mayo on the toasted side, top with 2 slices of eggplant followed by a slice or two of tomato.
3. Cover with whatever toppings you like (Lana makes this Coriander carrot salad for the topping and Yana adds cilantro). I had basil in my yard so I used that and it was super tasty. The basil added an amazing freshness to this luscious thing I call a sandwich. Enjoy!
Open-Faced Eggplant and Tomato Sandwiches
Ingredients
Sandwhich Ingredients:
Toppings:
- Here are some options for ya!
- Carrot Salad, a generous pinch
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Fresh basil leaves
- Chopped fresh green onion
Instructions
There are two ways to cook the eggplant:
Baking method (super easy and best for feeding larger crowds):
- Preheat Oven to 450˚F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place rack in the middle of your oven.
- Season each eggplant on both sides lightly with sea salt and pepper. Brush both sides generously with extra light olive oil.
- Bake at 450˚F for 12-15 min or until the slices are soft and browning on the bottom. Remove the eggplant from the oven and set aside to cool.
Sautéing Method:
- Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch slices and sprinkle each side evenly with sea salt and pepper.
- Set up your dipping station: pour flour in a flat bottomed dish. In a separate flat bottomed bowl, use a fork to beat your two eggs (this is your egg wash).
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium/high heat. Fill it with 1/4" oil and let the oil heat up before adding anything to the pan.
- Dip both sides of your eggplant into flour, then dip it into the beaten eggs (the egg keeps the eggplant from soaking up oil).
- Saute your eggplant in batches. Use a spatula to slide them into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides (about 3-4 minutes per side), turning once. Drain eggplant on paper towels. Add more oil if necessary until finished sautéing.
To assemble the eggplant sandwiches:
- In a small bowl, combine 4 Tbsp Mayo and press in 1 garlic clove. Mix well and set aside.
- Toast the cut side of each chiabatta sandwich roll until golden brown. Remove from pan and once it has cooled down a bit, spread about 1 Tbsp of garlicky mayo on the toasted side, top with 2 slices of eggplant followed by a slice or two of tomato.
- Cover with whatever toppings you like. I had basil in my yard so I used that and it was super tasty. The basil added an amazing freshness to this
- luscious thing I call an open face sandwich. Enjoy!
Are you a fan of eggplant?
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
These are delicious! We made some for a light dinner a couple of hours ago and it was a hit!To take it to the next level, we drizzled half with balsamic glaze and half with sriracha mayo. Then, we sprinkled some grated Parmesan cheese and garnished with a sprig of parsley. Wallah!
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing. I’m glad it was enjoyed.
The last time I bought eggplant, I made eggplant parmesan using your recipe, it was phenomenal. This time I made this Open Faced Eggplant Sandwich. I used the baking method for cooking the eggplant and used fresh basil to top it off. I was surprised how good it was. The garlic mayo really helps make the sandwich. My wife wants me to make them again.
Sounds great, I’m glad you and your wife enjoyed it!
Came here for the baking instructions. Eggplants turned out divine. I previously would always deep fry them like my mom did but was not a fan of the smell in my kitchen after frying. I had to bake mine for about 20 minutes. Otherwise perfect recipe, they were devoured by adults and toddlers alike!
Great to hear that it was a hit, Lena. Thanks a lot for the review!
Hey Natasha, so im planning on making these tonight, my questions is, whats the difference between the 2 methods of making the eggplant?
Hi Natasha, the baking method is more lean and doesn’t require as much oil. The one that is cooked in oil will taste just slightly better as that goes with fried foods 🙂
This is my go to recipe for eggplant! It is absolutely amazing. My family has been making these sandwiches for over 20 years , the only thing different is we put lots of dill into the garlick Mayo 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that Olga! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi natasha, is it possible to fry the eggplant a day in advance?
It would work but I do think fresh tastes best.
I have a question. When my mom taught me to make this she told me that I needed to let the eggplant drain excess water out before baking, (salt the eggplant and put in colander for an hour or so) I see that you don’t do that. Do you know what difference it makes if you drain or not?
I’ve tried that with this recipe and I thought not doing it turned out better. Maybe because it’s baked? I’m not sure. It works really well without the extra step of salting and draining.
I make these but a little differently. i add cheese on top of the mayo and then the eggplant so the cheese melts. Its very good.
Ahh that sounds mouthwateringly good! Thanks so much for sharing!
I’ve been making these sandwiches for a some time. Whoever tries them, loves them. I also add shredded boiled egg on top. I had a few people ask me what kind of meat is in it..lol… Vegetarian ; )
I like the idea of boiled egg on top. Yum! You’re making me hungry again! 😉
My mom has been.making these sandwiches for many years and i also learned from her. These sandwiches are a staple in our menu!! My kids do not like then which is unfortunate for them but i guess it means more for my husband and i… Hehe. I also make them with zucchini and they are just as delicious. . Hope people come to love eggplants as much as i do thanks to this wonderful recipe!
I agree. It’s a great food to love! 🙂
Hello Natasha! Thank you for visiting my blog and nice to meet you! Sandwich looks wonderful and healthy, eggplants are very delicious-)
Thanks Yelena. Your blog is eye candy! 🙂
I am always looking for good eggplant recipes- your photos look amazing! Yum!
Thank you Meghan :).
I love eggplant! Thanks for the sandwich idea! =)
You’re welcome. I’ve been wild about eggplant this year. I go in waves. I get stuck on a certain vegetable and make a bunch of new things with it, then I move on and get stuck on the next thing. Eggplants are no longer intimidating to me 🙂
OMG Girl. I love these sandwiches. I have a few eggplants in my fridge and just to make these, however I did not have a good recipe and was planning on experimenting with different things today. What a life saver! This post came out just when I needed it! Thanks so much!
You are welcome Alison, I hope you’ll love the recipe :).
Mmm, I’d love to make this into a pannini! Love all those ingredients 🙂
What a great idea! I wonder if it would squish the eggplant too much though? Hmmm. This calls for an experiment! 😉
hard boiled eggs are a great topping for this sandwich. I should try the baking method. Most of the time I just shred some mozzarella cheese on top.
Seems like possibilities are limitless :).
Yay! This looks absolutely heavenly! Even though it has started to rain in Oregon my eggplant plant is harvesting about 10 eggplants. And this will make a perfect way to use them!! Thanks do much for sharing the recipe!
You are welcome Julia, let me know how how they turn out :).
This looks so yummy. I love eggplant in any dish.
Thank you Vera :).
Yummy! I LOVE eggplant and I think it’s a highly underrated vegetable by the majority of the population. They probably never tried it with garlic and mayo.:) Just because it soaks up oil so easily, I grill my eggplant. Looks good, Natasha!
Thank you Olena :).
i make those kinda sandwiches too but with zucchini, must try eggplant next time….for the egg-wash, instead of dipping zucchini into egg and flour separate, i just beat eggs with flour n little bit of milk and then dip them before frying…. it works better in my opinion;)
Thank you for sharing your version Galina :).
Ohhhh Natasha! You must try the same method (flour then egg) for cauliflower….Ahh it’s amazing. Just to eat alone!! 🙂
Thanks for the tip Oksana, I must give it a try :).
One good tip is to boil the cauliflower for a few min first, flour and then egg…
Good tip, thanks for sharing Dina :).
I love love eggplant!! One of my favorite. I do make similar sandwiches except I grill my eggplant.
Will have to give it a try to this. Mouthwatering picture Natasha
Thanks Inessa 🙂 Ohhh grilled eggplant… Why didn’t I think of that?
im not an eggplant person but this looks really good. time to go and buy an eggplant.
More vegetables for Dave. Woohoo!! 🙂 Does he like eggplant?
not that i know of but this looks good enought for him to eat lol ill have to try it and will keep you updated 🙂
We miss you guys. David is always remembering you both. He loves your card and he’s had me read it to me several times. Everytime he asks what a minion is. He has a great memory, he’s going to ask you if he can watch minions when he gets to your house, you’ll see! lol
I love the ones daved sends us, i just cant find them any where. and i am ready to watch minions with david when i see him again 🙂