Eggplant Parm Sandwich

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Craving the comfort of a saucy, gooey sub shop sandwich? Try this easy eggplant parm sandwich recipe – it hits the spot every time.

There’s nothing quite like a big, saucy sub from your favorite deli. And while we love a good chicken parm sandwich, sometimes it’s nice to switch things up and go for the vegetarian alternative – eggplant parm! These days, we’re enjoying it more and more. Especially when it’s as crispy and delicious as we can make it at home.

This eggplant parm sub is crispy, saucy, gooey, and just a little greasy – the way any good comfort food sandwich should taste! And you can make it in just about 30 minutes, so you can quickly satisfy your cravings with minimal effort.

What This Recipe Entails

To make an eggplant parmesan sandwich, you’ll dredge and fry eggplant slices before layering them on a sub roll with marinara and cheese. Since you’ll need to fry the eggplant in batches, it’ll take about 20 minutes to cook it all up.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 15 to 20 minutes

Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich Ingredients

This is the simplest recipe for an eggplant parmesan sandwich! All you need is an eggplant, your favorite marinara sauce, some cheese, and a few pantry staples:

• Eggplant
• Egg
• Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• Marinara sauce
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Vegetable oil
• Sub roll

A small eggplant works great for two sandwiches. Slice up, dredge, and fry the entire thing, and if you have too many pieces for your sub, you can always store it in the fridge to use later! Check out our section below on storing leftover fried eggplant for more details.

Use your favorite marinara sauce, or even pizza sauce, for these sandwiches. Store bought or homemade, it doesn’t matter! We like to use our easy pizza sauce since we always have a stash stored in our freezer for easy reheating (thanks to our trusty Souper Cubes).

How To Make An Eggplant Parm Sub

It’s so simple to make a delicious, saucy, and gooey eggplant parmesan sub. Here’s how to make our recipe:

1. First, peel and slice the eggplant into quarter-inch thick slices.
2. Then, set up your dredging station. In one shallow dish, combine an egg with a splash of water and whisk until beaten well. Fill a separate shallow dish with the breadcrumbs.
3. Next, fill a frying pan with about a quarter-inch of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high.
4. While the oil gets hot, dredge the eggplant slices. Working with one slice at a time, first coat in the egg, then coat evenly in breadcrumbs, making sure to let excess egg drip off the eggplant before transferring it to the breadcrumbs. Lay the slices in a single layer on a plate or parchment lined baking sheet as you finish coating them.
5. Once the oil is hot and all the eggplant has been coated, fry the eggplant in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, until golden brown on both sides. This takes about 2 minutes per side on our stove. 
6. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and continue working in batches until all the eggplant has been fried.
7. Next, heat up the marinara sauce in the microwave until hot, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
8. Finally, build your eggplant parm sub! Layer 5 or 6 slices of eggplant across a sub roll, top generously with the marinara sauce, then top with plenty of shredded mozzarella and freshly grated parmesan.
9. Optionally broil the sandwich on low for a few minutes, or use a kitchen torch, to melt the cheese. Serve hot and enjoy!

We find that a small pair of tongs and a small spatula work great for flipping the eggplant slices without breaking them or pulling the coating off. Make sure to flip them carefully so you don’t splash hot oil.

Depending on the size of your sub roll, you may want more or less eggplant on your sandwich! We like to use 6-inch rolls and about 5 or 6 pieces of eggplant, so there’s about 2 layers of eggplant on the sandwich.

Don’t be afraid to use plenty of sauce and cheese on these. Eggplant parm sandwiches are supposed to be messy! That’s what makes them so delicious.

Serving Suggestions

Like we said, one small eggplant is perfect for about 2 sandwiches! This recipe is perfect for a special weekend lunch or an easy dinner you can make in 30 minutes for you and your partner.

Depending on your mood (and the occasion), you can serve eggplant parm subs with any number of sides! Here are two of our favorites:

• Dressed greens or a simple salad are the perfect light side dish for a healthier option
• Pair this sub with waffle fries for a comfort food dinner you can enjoy while watching football

If you’re looking to make eggplant parm sandwiches for more than a few people, we recommend checking out our baked eggplant parmesan recipe here to prepare a large batch that can be served on sub rolls.

Storing Leftover Fried Eggplant

In case all the eggplant doesn’t fit on your sub, you can easily store leftovers in the fridge. Keep the fried eggplant in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Here are a few ideas for using up the leftovers:

• Make another eggplant parm sandwich! Heat the eggplant in an air fryer at 350 degrees F for about 5 to 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
• Turn it into a small serving of eggplant parmesan. Line a baking sheet with foil, lay the eggplant slices in a single layer, and top each one with marinara and shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes and serve with pasta, roasted vegetables, or salad.
• Enjoy it as a snack! Heat the eggplant in the air fryer as you would for making another sandwich so that it crisps, and serve it with marinara for dipping.

And that’s it! Simple, easy, delicious, and all done in just about 30 minutes. You’re going to fall in love with this eggplant parm sandwich as soon as you take one bite – we guarantee it.

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