Bacon Eggplant & Tomato Sandwiches

with smoked provolone and fresh basil

I swear there were two of these sandwiches … one of them just disappeared before my photo shoot. I just couldn’t wait to TASTE this deliciousness. Normally I can wait until I finish the photo session to eat, but not this time. I couldn’t keep my hands from grabbin’ it, couldn’t keep my mouth from biting into it, and once I’d taken a bit, I couldn’t keep myself from devouring the whole thing. I knew, though, once I’d eaten one of them that I NEEDED to blog this creation …

I didn’t even use a lot of bacon–just one slice–but the bacon I used was a very flavorful, lean bacon, and I made sure that each bite of the sandwich had a little taste of the bacon along with that perfect, juicy fresh garden tomato and the meaty, buttery eggplant and the melty smoky provolone cheese. The fresh basil on top was the piece de resistance, the little extra that just took it over the top. It’s simplicity refined.

I forced myself to refrain from eating the second one until I’d managed to get some good shots of it. And then, once I’d photographed it to satisfaction, that sandwich did the disappearing trick too, right into my hungry belly.

Bacon, Eggplant & Tomato Sandwiches with Smoked Provolone & Fresh Basil

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: as many as you like!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• A small to medium eggplant

For each open-faced sandwich:

• 1 slice of bread, toasted (I used French bread)
• 1 strip of bacon, cooked
• 2 – 3 slices of eggplant
• 2 – 3 slices of fresh garden tomato
• 1 slice of smoked provolone
• 2 – 3 fresh basil leaves

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Instructions

1. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice thin slices off the eggplant horizontally (about 1/8 inch thick) and set them on the baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with Red Robin Seasoning, flip them over and sprinkle the other side as well. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.
2. Meanwhile lightly toast the bread and cook the bacon. Tear (or cut) the bacon slices in half lengthwise.
3. Remove the eggplant from the baking sheet and add the toast. Arrange the eggplant slices on the toasts, top with tomato slices and then arrange the bacon so that you’ll get a bit of bacon in each bite. Top with a slice of provolone and bake at 400 for another 7 minutes or so or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
4. Serve with fresh basil leaves on top.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2014, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

This recipe was shared at The Weekend Social, Foodie Friends Friday, The Weekend Re-Treat, Weekend Potluck, Simple Supper Tuesday and The PureBlogLove Linky.