Looking for a healthier alternative to typical grilled cheese? Give this recipe a try! With fresh mozzarella and a blend of other Italian cheeses, you still will get your cheese fix – roasted eggplant and red bell peppers allow you to cut back on some of the fat and calories and add great flavor as well. Dip the sandwiches in marinara sauce for an extra kick! Reduced-fat never tasted better. Want to see how this recipe was created? Check out “Eggplant to the rescue!”.
4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 Japanese eggplants, sliced 1/2″ thick lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette, cut into 5″ pieces OR 4-5″ mini-baguettes
1 roasted red bell pepper, divided into 4 long pieces
2 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4″ thick
1/2 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
1 cup marinara
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to broil.
Lay eggplant slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush olive oil on top of each slice. Sprinkle salt and pepper to season eggplant. Broil 4-5 minutes until eggplant slices are browned and soft (watch carefully, they can burn quickly!).
Heat panini grill to 350 degrees.
To assemble sandwiches, first slice each baguette lengthwise to create top and bottom halves. Build each sandwich as follows:
- bottom baguette half
- 1 tablespoon shredded cheese
- slice eggplant
- red pepper
- fresh mozzarella
- slice eggplant
- 1 tablespoon shredded cheese
- top baguette half
Press down on the sandwich with your hand to stabilize it and secure the filling within the bread.
Carefully place two sandwiches at a time onto the panini press and grill at a low grill height for 9 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Serve hot with marinara for dipping.
>Ready to buy a panini press? Check out my Panini Press Buying Guide for the features to look for.
>Want more panini recipes? See my Recipe Index for a list of all recipes on Panini Happy.
>Traveling to a new city soon? Browse Panini Happy’s Great American Sandwich Guide to find the best sandwiches across the country!
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I just had to tell you Kathy. I was just checking my links from a previous Grilled Cheese Month post I did in 2008 and lo and behold, this link was in my resource section! Good thing I put you in my side-bar this time:)
Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed this post then as well as now…
Louise´s last blog post ..Happy Lemon Chiffon Pie Day!
[Reply]
Kathy Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Oh my goodness, one of my very first sandwiches! Eeek…glad I’ve shown some improvement since then, lol.
[Reply]