Eggplant Parmesan stuffed buns



Eggplant Parm is one of my favorite things in the entire world. Chicken Parm means nothing to me. Honestly, nothing (no offence to the chickens.) I have even had eggplant haters devour a good eggplant Parmesan (you know who YOU are). Sure all the sauce and gooey cheese helps - but the eggplant is still the star.

I'll eat leftover eggplant parm cold, with pasta, heated up on it's own... with my hands.... But tonight I decided to try something different. I was making fresh bread to go with the soup I was making for dinner when I had the perfect idea... Why not stuff my leftover eggplant parm from last night into the bread? 

It was a divine message. I am sure of it. This reminds me to always listen to that little voice inside of my head... "get more goats"... "buy leopard print blankets for the Prairie dogs"... "stuff your buns with eggplant and tomato sauce..."

I make a quick eggplant parm by slicing two small unpeeled eggplants into rounds, thin rounds but not paper thin. I coat the eggplant slices by dipping them in a beaten egg and then in some Panko bread crumbs mixed with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dried oregano and parsley... mix the Panko and the seasoning and just spread it on a plate.

Shallow fry your eggplant slices in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Just a minute or so on each side until they are golden brown. Remove the slices and put them on a paper towel to drain, while you repeat with all the remaining slices of eggplant.

Put your browned eggplant slices into a casserole dish, this makes enough for about 4 people (and those are healthy portions so you could probably feed 5.) Then you need about 5 cups of your favorite tomato sauce - you want the sauce to completely cover the eggplant slices.

Top with shredded mozzarella and fresh parmesan cheese and bake at 400ยบ ...Until the cheese is melted and golden and your eggplant is soft. About 25 minutes. You can also take it from there, the sauce is key... add lots of herbs, roasted garlic, etc.

Eggplant Parmesan stuffed buns 

1 cup warm water (not hot, warm, or it will kill the yeast)
1 Tbs yeast
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp garlic salt - you could also use 2 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of garlic, but I love garlic salt, it's my current obsession
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups all purpose flour
about a half a cup of shredded cheese, I used Monterey Jack cheese with jalapenos because I love it, but you could use anything you'd like, more mozzarella, Parmesan, cheddar.... 
some dried basil

Mix together the yeast and water and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Once it's working, add the sugar, garlic salt, melted butter and oil. Add the flour and mix to combine. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. I always knead my dough by hand, but you can of course ask for the assistance of your mixer for that. They can be very helpful. 

Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let rise for about 30 minutes to an hour. 

Preheat the oven to 375ยบ. 

Divide the dough into about 10 pieces. You can make them as big or as small as you'd like. Grab some dough, flatten it out with your fingers into a disc shape and place about a tsp of the eggplant in the center of it and then fold the edges all around the filling and pinch them together underneath. Make sure you pinch the edges tightly.

Put the pinched side down on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle the buns with a little dried basil and a little of the shredded cheese. Bake in the oven for 12-16 minutes until brown and bubbly. 

Serve warm. 





Don't have any leftover eggplant parm or don't want to make some? Stuff them with meat sauce, pesto and cheese... the possibilities are endless!

Comments

jaz@octoberfarm said…
these are like my bierrocks. i never thought of using eggplant parm but i love this idea. when i was a kid my favorite indulgence was eating leftover spaghetti on hot dog buns. i did it in secret because i thought i was weird. they now serve this in restaurants! and one of the hottest recipes on pinterest is spaghetti stuffed bread.
The JR said…
I luv eggplant any way you fix it!

Primitive Stars said…
Hello....yum yum.....thanks for sharing the recipe......Blessings Francine.
That looks delicious! I am a sucker for bread anyway. One day, I will make these.

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