Tasty Tuesdays: Roasted Eggplant Sandwich with Tomato Garlic Sauce

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Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

I have so many eggplant right now from my garden plot and I'm having a really hard time keeping up.  I was searching through one of my most favorite cookbooks { Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything } and found this recipe.  Sounded easy enough to me, so I tried it.
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- 1 large or 2 medium firm, unblemished eggplant
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups drained and chopped canned tomatoes (do not use tomatoes packed in purée)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves, plus more for sandwich
- 6 thin slices mozzarella
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional; not in original recipe but I thought it sounded good)
- 6 rolls or 2 loaves of French or Italian bread
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1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Slice the eggplant crosswise into 12 slices, each about 1/2 inch thick. Brush a baking sheet lightly with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and place the eggplant slices, in one layer, on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of slices with another tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until the eggplant is lightly browned, turn, sprinkle with onion, salt and pepper and Bake until tender, a total of 20 to 30 minutes.
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{ Hands down, my favorite canned tomato }
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2. While the eggplant is baking, peel and crush 1 clove of garlic. Place it in a medium skillet with the remaining olive oil and turn the heat, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes are thick and not at all runny, about 15 minutes. Peel and mince the remaining garlic clove and add it, along with the basil, salt and pepper, to the tomatoes. Cook an additional 2 minutes over low heat.
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3. Use 2 slices if eggplant a piece of cheese (or two), basil, red pepper, and a dollop of sauce for each sandwich.
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I really liked this sandwich.  I ate it warm right when I made it and ate leftovers cold the next day as a picnic lunch I took to the beach.  Both sandwiches were great.  Also, the tomato sauce is delicious - I think I might make just that and use it for bruschetta.
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