Spicy Eggplant Sandwich

This yummy picnic dish is on the Cheesecake Factory menu and my favorite. It combines eggplant, spinach, cheese and mushrooms. Its super nutritious and picnic yummy.

• Sandwich buns of choice*
• 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 
• 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

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Wash and slice off the stem and bottom ends of the eggplant. There’s no need to peel the skin. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into ¼”-½” slices.
2. 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.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the bechamel on the stovetop.
4. 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.
5. 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. 
6. 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. 
7. Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until thick. 
8. To assemble: remove the eggplant from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9×11” 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).
9. 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. 
10. 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. 
11. 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!
12. Picnic Ready!

Super yummy picnic sandwich