Sautéed Eggplant, Heirloom Tomato, and Burrata Sandwiches

Since it’s the back to school time of year, we decided it would be fun to do a week entirely devoted to delicious lunch box style food! We’re kicking things off today with our first sandwich recipe. The inspiration for this actually came from a sandwich my mom whipped up while we were on the Cape. It got quite the reaction on instagram, so I knew I needed to recreate it here. I upped the ante by using burrata, which I recently found out means “buttered” in Italian. No wonder I love that stuff so much! But you could easily use fresh mozzarella if that’s all you have on hand (Side note- burrata is very similar to fresh mozzarella, but it has a creamy interior. If you haven’t tried it, it’s a must!). The one thing to remember when making a sandwich as simple as this is to use the best quality ingredients you can find- a ripe heirloom tomato, fresh bread, and farmer’s market basil. Topped with olive oil and sea salt, this sandwich is downright irresistible.

Here’s to a great week!

Sautéed Eggplant and Burrata Sandwiches

• 1 whole baguette (I used a whole grain, but anything will do)
• 1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced
• 8 oz burrata
• 2 medium size heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 cups fresh basil, loosely packed
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400°. Once fully heated, place your bread in the oven for 6-8 minutes until the exterior is warm and hard to the touch.

Set a large frying pan to medium heat, coat generously with olive oil. Let the pan heat while you slice the eggplant, and season with salt and pepper. Once the oil is just slightly shimmering, place the eggplant in the pan in a single layer. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Let cool on a paper towel lined plate while you cook the second batch.

Meanwhile, lay out your sliced tomatoes, basil, burrata, sea salt, and pepper. Slice your baguette lengthwise and  into 5-6 pieces. To assemble the sandwiches, layer the eggplant on the bottom, top with a slice or two of tomato, and then spoon over some burrata. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with sea salt and pepper. Top with several pieces of basil, and place the other piece of bread on top. If packing up for lunches, wrap the sandwiches tightly in saran wrap or aluminum foil. Or, if serving for lunch, feel free to place all the ingredients on a big platter and have a make your own sandwich style lunch! That’s my preference.