The Mezzetta Sandwich Contest

This is an Eggplant sandwich to satisfy all tastebuds and is my entry in the Mezzetta Make That Sandwich Contest.

We used Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Artichoke Marinara Pasta Sauce  and Mezzetta Golden Greek Pepperocini Slices to add the ultimate flavor to this lunch or dinner meal.

• 1 medium eggplant, sliced about 1/3″ thick into 8 to 10 slices. Leave the skin on and salt in a colander for 30 minutes.
• 3 beaten eggs
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 TBS Italian seasoning
• olive oil for frying
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
• 1 large tomato, sliced thin in 8 – 10 slices
• 8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, crumbled
• salt and pepper
• 8 oz Mozzarella cheese, sliced into 8 – 10 slices
• 1 cup or more of Napa Valley Bistro Artichoke Marinara Sauce
• 1 cup or more of Mezzetta Golden Pepperocini Slices, drained
• 8 TBS Honey or Sweet-Hot Mustard
• 8 – 10 pieces of crisp lettuce
• 8 – 10 Whole wheat or Kaiser Rolls, toasted

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Heat frying pan on medium – high and cover the bottom with oil.  Mix the breadcrumbs with the Italian seasoning and put into a dish. Dip the eggplant (after it has been salted and sat for 30 min.) into the beaten eggs, then into the seasoned breadcrumbs. Fry at about 5 – 6 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd the pan.

Add the fennel to the hot an and saute for about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Prepare a baking sheet with foil and place the eggplant slices on the sheet.  Top with a tomato slice, basil, salt and pepper, mozzarella cheese, 1 TBS Napa Valley Bistro sauce, some fennel and bake for 8 – 10 minutes.

Toast the rolls. Place a piece of lettuce on the bottom of each roll, top with prepared eggplant, put about 1 TBS pepperocini on each egglant, spread about 1 TBS mustard on top roll and enjoy.

This sandwich was SO good. Ted loved it – he ate 2!  I enjoyed it so much, I could’ve eaten two but thought better of it – the stomach can only hold so much..or so it told the brain.

The Mezzetta Pepperocini slices really did the trick to adding so much flavor. If you give this a try, don’t leave out the pepperocini. They come in mild or hot options.

Now it’s off to begin the long weekend.  Please stop by for a visit since I’ll be posting more delicious recipes. Do you have a favorite you want me to try? If so, either leave it in the comments, email it, or let me know your blog where I can find it. I just LOVE to try new things!

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