One of the things I like about cooking is that you can take one recipe or meal and transform it into something else entirely. For example, this vegetarian eggplant sandwich is a variation on the sabich sandwich eaten in Iraq and Israel. First, I made another batch of the Israeli salad recipe from two weeks ago (the original way, with lemon and bell pepper instead of the mint and lime), and then I added pita, fried eggplant, hummus, spinach, and a hard boiled egg.
And voila! A side dish is now a full meal. The spinach isn’t traditional, but I had some handy and I figured it would go well with the other ingredients.
It makes a great lunch (or light dinner), without a lot of fussing. You hard boil the egg, fry the eggplant and onion, and then just stuff everything into the pita. You can even follow local tradition and eat it for breakfast on a weekend morning; it has eggs, it must be breakfast food. Right?
Some versions of this sandwich use Israeli pickles and pickled mango sauce. These are both probably delicious, but I didn’t add them because I hate buying large containers of ingredients only to use a few spoonfuls. If you don’t mind that, or plan to eat a lot of sandwiches, you can find both online.
Vegetarian Eggplant Sandwich
Vegetarian sandwich with eggplant, hard boiled egg, hummus, and chopped Israeli salad.
Ingredients
- 3 slices eggplant, cut into strips
- pinch or two of kosher salt (to draw out the moisture from the eggplant)
- hard boiled egg
- 2-3T olive oil
- 2 tsp onion, diced
- handful spinach (optional)
- 2 T Persian or Israeli salad (cukes, tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, optional bell peppers, cut into tiny pieces; the full recipe is here)
- 2 T hummus
- 1 pocket pita bread
Instructions
- Salt the eggplant and let it sit while you boil the egg.
- Fill a small saucepan (preferably enamel or stainless steel) with water and add the egg. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the egg for 12 minutes (right out of the fridge, 10 if it was sitting on the counter for a while).
- Remove the egg from the pan with a large slotted spoon and hold it under cold running water (or plunge it into an ice bath). The shell will come off more easily if it's cold.
- Heat the oil in a small frying pan and add the eggplant. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5-8 minutes.
- Now add the spinach, if using, and cook for one minute until it wilts.
- Remove the eggplant mixture from the heat.
- Peel the egg and cut it into slices.
- Cut open the pita, and add the spinach.
- Add eggplant mixture, egg, salad, and hummus in layers.
Substitutions and Variations for Vegetarian Eggplant Sandwich
- Add the pickles and the mangos
- Layer in some tahini sauce
- Shred some cabbage and put that between the layers
- Include bell pepper (about one mini pepper) in the Israeli salad
- Try some jalapeño for extra heat
More Eggplant Recipes
Pasta alla Norma with Eggplant
Take advantage of fresh summer eggplant with this mildly spicy pasta dish. Tender eggplant, a quick tomato sauce, and you’re ready to eat in about 20 minutes.
Eggplant Parmesan Recipe for One
Lightly fried eggplant, rich tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella makes a dinner that’s a lot easier than you may think.
Sichuan Chinese Chicken and Eggplant with Garlic Sauce
A takeout standout that you can easily make at home. And it’s a lot faster than going out for the takeout would be.
Rosemary Olive Oil Broiled Eggplant
An easy side dish that’s ready in minutes. Great with lamb or chicken.