Now is that a sandwich or is that a sandwich! You will be scooping up every last bit that escapes from the bun and ends up on your plate because this messy vegan eggplant "parm" sandwich is:
So Saucy
Covered In Melty Cheesiness
An Explosion Of Flavour
And Half The Price Of Buying Out!
Half The Price
Oh yes it is!
It takes time to make the saucy, cheesy eggplant "parmesan" BUT you get 6 mouth watering sandwiches for roughly:
CAD $21.19 or $3.53 per sandwich!
If we buy a sandwich like this out, we pay at least CAD $8.00/sandwich!
That sounds like a win to us!
Making Eggplant Parmesan
We make our Timely Eggplant Bake, add it to a tasty bun, and throw on some sliced roasted red peppers for this hunger bustin' messy sandwich!
You will need:
- Eggplant
- Tomato Sauce
- A Batch Of Our Quick And Easy Bechamel
- Breadcrumbs
- Your Favourite Sandwich Buns
- And Parsley & Roasted Red Peppers For Garnish!
Is this authentic eggplant parmesan? No. BUT...
Take a look at our Timely Eggplant Bake for our breakdown of why we choose this tasty, thrifty, less mess, and less fuss version!
Building Vegan Eggplant Parm Sandwiches
Is your mouth already watering? This sandwich is satisfying on so many levels!
- It's Filling
- Ultimate Comfort Food
- You Can Bring It To Work (keep the eggplant separate then slop it onto the bun when you're ready to eat)
- And The Leftovers Are Even Better!
Which Bun Is Best
The choice is yours!
Prefer a round Kaiser bun? No problem!
Slice your eggplant into rounds instead of long slices! Follow the rest of the steps as written.
Using Leftovers
Have fun with your leftovers! Switch it up and have the first batch as a sandwich and the leftover eggplant:
- Over Your Favourite Pasta
- With Roasted Veggies
- Or Choose Your Favourite Side (Fries, Mashed Potatoes, Salad, Soup)
- The Possibilities Are Endless!
Let us know in the comments below if you make this ultimate vegan eggplant "parm" sandwich! Make sure to send us your pictures by using #tastythriftytimely on Instagram!
Print
The Ultimate Vegan Eggplant "Parm" Sandwich
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6 sandwiches 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This saucy & "cheesy" vegan eggplant "parm" sandwich will have you scooping up every bit that ends up on your plate! And it's thrifty!
Ingredients
- 6 sandwich buns of choice*
- 250ml sliced roasted red peppers*
For the Eggplant:
- 1- 1 ½ large eggplant (12 pieces)*
- 1 ½ tbsp oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 950 ml marinara sauce (or preferred tomato sauce)
- 2 cups breadcrumbs (homemade for extra savings)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano + 1 tablespoon dried basil (or use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs)
- Fresh basil or parsley to garnish*
For the Bechamel:
- ½ shallot or ¼ medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 tbsp white all-purpose flour
- 2 cups soy milk
- 2-3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
*Fresh ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Wash and slice off the stem and bottom ends of the eggplant (toss them in your veggie scrap bag for homemade broth!). There's no need to peel the skin. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into ¼”-½” slices.
- Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer on two prepared baking sheets. Brush each side of the slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (I like to combine the oil, salt, and pepper in a small dish and use a pastry brush to brush the oil on each slice). Bake for about 20 minutes, flipping the pieces of eggplant and the pans halfway through.
- Meanwhile, prepare the bechamel on the stovetop.
- In a small pot, heat the butter over medium low heat until melted and just sizzling. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the flour 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking quickly to combine the flour with the butter. Once all the flour is added, let it cook for about a minute.
- Add the milk ¼ cup at a time, whisking quickly to prevent lumping. When all the milk is added, whisk in the nutritional yeast, nutmeg, and salt.
- Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until thick.
- To assemble: remove the eggplant from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x11” baking dish with a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom. Then add a layer of eggplant. Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs over the eggplant. Spoon another layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of bechamel. Repeat with remaining eggplant, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, and the final layer should be bechamel. (Reserve a bit of the bechamel for extra drizzling on the sandwiches if desired).
- Bake for 20 minutes to warm all the layers through. It will be ready when the tomato sauce starts to bubble and the bechamel is lightly browned on top.
- For toasted sandwich buns, switch your oven to broil. Lightly brush buns with a bit of butter if desired, and toast for a few minutes under the broiler. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly.
- To build the sandwich: place eggplant on the bun (for a less messy sandwich you can scoop just one layer of the eggplant but we always scoop two slices, one on top of the other), drizzle extra bechamel if desired, add sliced roasted red pepper, grab some napkins, and pick up that messy sandwich!
Notes
Cost Comparison: CAD $14.75 for the eggplant bake + $6.44 for the buns and peppers CAD $21.19 total ($3.53/sandwich) vs. at least CAD $8 per sandwich if ordered out.
With the eggplant bake costing us CAD $14.75 it offers great savings compared to roughly $18 - $30 for veal or chicken parm made with dairy cheese and eggs! (See our Timely Eggplant Bake recipe for a detailed cost comparison).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Burgers & Sandwiches
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Maria
Made this for dinner. It was amazing! Bursting with flavour & gooey goodness. Don’t think I’ll ever have veal or chicken parm again.
Kathryn Alexandre
That's so great to hear! We're glad you loved it!
Ron
Wow...two hands and lots of napkins needed for this but exceeded expectations. Just simply very very good.
Kathryn Alexandre
Haha glad you dug in and enjoyed the messiness!
Deb
Thank you! Going to make this tomorrow for family dinner! Could you tell me what type of bun you used in your video, looked delish!
Kathryn Alexandre
Great! I hope you like it! I tend to buy long ciabatta buns for this one but a softer bun will work too. Even if you can only find round or square buns you can slice your eggplant into rounds instead of long strips!
Alyssa
My husband and I made these New Year's Eve as part of a party platter spread and none were left at the end of the night! These are one of my favourite sandwiches ever!
Kathryn Alexandre
Yay! I'm so glad they are your favourite! I have to say, they are mine too. Thank you so much for letting me know that you made them and that they were gobbled up! Happy new year and thank you for the lovely star rating!