Eggplant Cheese Melt

(Takes just under an hour to prepare and bake;

Serves 4 – 6)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs (plain breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning)

1 - 2 eggplants sliced in ½ inch rounds

2 – 3 ciabatta rolls or a loaf of Italian bread

Garlic butter

2 cups thick tomato sauce – marinara is good

8 ounces mozzarella cheese – sliced

Sprinkle of parmesan cheese

Olive oil – for the baking sheet

Heat oven to 475ºF. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the salt and pepper. Spread the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Dip the sliced eggplant in the egg mixture and then place in the breadcrumbs – make sure each side is well coated. Place the coated eggplant slices on the oiled baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Slice the ciabatta (or loaf of bread) in half and place cut side up on a baking sheet – spread with garlic butter. Toast in oven broiler ‘til top is lightly toasted – about 1 minute. Remove from oven. Spread a generous amount of tomato sauce onto each piece of toasted bread, layer with eggplant and cheese. Bake until the cheese is slightly browned – about 7 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Serve with salad or soup.

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This recipe is simple yet tasty – a good addition to soup nights. Almost any kind of cheese can be used to complement the soup you may be serving – parmesan is always a great addition to mozzarella. Or you can serve this with a salad for lunch. This is another recipe that can be tweaked to suite your taste.

#eggplant #cheese