This Roasted Eggplant Sandwich has a creamy cottage cheese romesco, roasted artichokes, eggplants and served on toasted ciabatta bread. Bright high protein vegetarian sandwich idea.
This Roasted Eggplant Sandwich is layered with vegetables tossed in an olive oil, lemon juice, and herb dressing, then stacked onto toasted ciabatta with a creamy cottage cheese romesco spread. The roasted vegetables pair really well with the smoky romesco, while the toasted bread holds everything together with plenty of texture in every bite.
One of the best things about this sandwich is that it feels hearty without being heavy. The cottage cheese romesco adds extra protein and creaminess, making it a great vegetarian lunch or dinner option. It’s delicious on its own, but slices of mozzarella melt in perfectly if you want to make it even more filling.
Roasted Eggplant Sandwich
Ingredients
The romesco sauce:
- 2 red pepper romanos (or red bell peppers)
- 12 sweet cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 slices of stale white or sourdough bread
- 1/4 cup blanched almonds or hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-2 tbsp sherry or champagne vinegar
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- sea salt
- pepper
Veggie dressing:
- 1/8 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/8 cup basil, chopped
- Zest from half a lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Flaky salt
- Pepper
The rest:
- 1 small eggplant (about 6-8 slices per sandwich)
- 1/2 cup roasted artichokes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Ciabatta bread
Instructions
- Make the romesco: Preheat oven 400. Add peppers, cherry tomatoes and garlic to an oven safe pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 min, or until tender and the skin can be peeled (check and move around halfway through cooking). Remove and let cool while you prep everything else.
- When the pepper, tomato and garlic is cool enough to touch, peel the skin and add to a blender (or mortar and pestle) along with the pepper oil from the pan, vinegar and olive oil. Blend and season to taste.
- Cook the eggplant: Using a mandolin, thinly slice eggplant and add to a baking sheet. Season with salt and press down on each slice of eggplant to remove a little bit of the moisture. This will make the eggplant a bit crispier. Drizzle with about 2 tbsp of olive oil, and pepper. Bake for about 10 min, flipping halfway through. Eggplant should be browned.
- Combine veggie dressing in a bowl with eggplant slices and artichokes. Mix until combined.
- Toast ciabatta and add creamy romesco to both slices. Add the veggie mix. Close and enjoy!
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