Roasted eggplant and pepper sandwich

I came up with this recipe in my desire to create a vegetarian burger like sandwich, without using the vegetarian burger patties.

I am not much of a burger eater…actually now that I’m thinking about it, I just realized, I haven’t had a beef burger in years…. Even thou I’m not a vegetarian, I prefer a veggie-burger to the beef burger any day, but veggie burgers can be dried and as it happens, I got tired of the veggie-burger too but not the taste for it… so, I came out with this creation of a delicious, juicy and great vegetarian, or vegan*  burger like sandwich.

It takes a bit of time to roast the eggplants and peppers, but they can be done ahead of time, or the day before. The roasted eggplant can be warmed up before hand or after assembling with the cheese, toast the sandwich in the oven for a few minutes…



Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants
2 red bell peppers
2 –3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. barbeque sauce
4 ciabatta buns (or large burger buns)
4 slices of Provolone ( or other  cheese, of your choice*)
2 tomatoes, sliced
Dill pickles, sliced

Directions:
Place red peppers on a baking sheet and broil until soft and skins has starts to burn; turn peppers while roasting so cooks all all sided evenly.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly; peel of skin and set aside.

 

Peel eggplant and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a small amount of olive oil in a pan and roasted peppers, for 3-4 minutes, turning once until soft. Remove to a covered dish to keep warm.

Place vegetable oil in a pan; add sliced onions; sauté for 8-10 minutes.  (Add a splash of water if needed, to prevent burning.) Once onions are starting to brown, stir in the barbeque sauce and mix well. Remove from heat; set aside.

 

To ensemble sandwich, cut bun in two. Place 2 teaspoons of onion mixture and spread around on the bun.



Top with slices of eggplant and red peppers.

 

Top with a slice of cheese. At this point, if  you like, you can place the sandwich in a small toaster oven, at 300 F.  for a few minutes, until cheese start to melt. Remove from oven; top with slices of dill pickles and tomatoes.

 

Place the other half of the bun on top and serve.



Makes: 4  sandwiches

* For a Vegan version, replace cheese with soy cheese slices.

TIP; Also good with mustard, onion relish, and lettuce of your choice if you prefer.

Enjoy!

Leia’s Culinary Treasures