By Maureen Callahan, MS, RD
A leaf of lettuce and a thin slice or two of tomato is a start, but it’s barely half a serving of veggies. So load on more veggies like sliced cucumbers, sprouts, spinach, and roasted red peppers. Aim for at least 1/2 a cup of veggies or add a side salad. Or opt to make a meat-free sandwich like these Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches. We start with roasted eggplant, sweet red peppers, and peppery arugula as a hearty base. You could add any variety of veggies from here.
Transform sandwich night with this hearty veggie-laden stacker. You can peel the eggplant, but the sandwiches are prettier with the deep-purple skin intact.
2. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush both sides of eggplant with 1 teaspoon oil. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Arrange bell pepper halves, skin sides up, on baking sheet with eggplant; flatten with hand. Broil 4 minutes; turn eggplant over (do not turn bell pepper over). Broil an additional 4 minutes; remove eggplant from pan. Broil bell pepper an additional 7 minutes or until blackened. Place bell pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand for 15 minutes; peel and discard skin.
3. Broil bread slices for 2 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto on each of 2 bread slices. Layer each bread slice, pesto side up, with 2 eggplant slices, 1 bell pepper half, and 2 eggplant slices. Toss arugula with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and black pepper; divide arugula mixture evenly between sandwiches. Spread 2 tablespoons goat cheese over each of 2 remaining bread slices; place, cheese side down, on sandwiches.
A leaf of lettuce and a thin slice or two of tomato is a start, but it’s barely half a serving of veggies. So load on more veggies like sliced cucumbers, sprouts, spinach, and roasted red peppers. Aim for at least 1/2 a cup of veggies or add a side salad. Or opt to make a meat-free sandwich like these Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches. We start with roasted eggplant, sweet red peppers, and peppery arugula as a hearty base. You could add any variety of veggies from here.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)
Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)
Ingredients
- 8 (1/2-inch-thick) eggplant slices
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 4 (1-ounce) slices ciabatta bread
- 2 tablespoons refrigerated pesto
- 1 cup baby arugula
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) soft goat cheese
Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.2. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush both sides of eggplant with 1 teaspoon oil. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Arrange bell pepper halves, skin sides up, on baking sheet with eggplant; flatten with hand. Broil 4 minutes; turn eggplant over (do not turn bell pepper over). Broil an additional 4 minutes; remove eggplant from pan. Broil bell pepper an additional 7 minutes or until blackened. Place bell pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand for 15 minutes; peel and discard skin.
3. Broil bread slices for 2 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto on each of 2 bread slices. Layer each bread slice, pesto side up, with 2 eggplant slices, 1 bell pepper half, and 2 eggplant slices. Toss arugula with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and black pepper; divide arugula mixture evenly between sandwiches. Spread 2 tablespoons goat cheese over each of 2 remaining bread slices; place, cheese side down, on sandwiches.
Nutritional Information
- Calories:
- 395
- Fat:
- 20.4g (sat 6.4g,mono 11.6g,poly 1.4g)
- Protein:
- 14g
- Carbohydrate:
- 43.1g
- Fiber:
- 6.7g
- Cholesterol:
- 18mg
- Iron:
- 3.5mg
- Sodium:
- 635mg
- Calcium:
- 108mg
Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2009
