Eggplant Parm & Pesto Sliders

Eggplant Parm & pesto Sliders

​Prep Time: 45 Min
Cook Time: Approx 1 Hour

Yields: 8 Sliders

What You Need

Pesto

• 1/4 C Toasted Pine Nuts
• 1 C Fresh Basil, packed
  
• 1/3 C Fresh Parsley, packed
  
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
  
• 1/4 C EVOO
  
• 1/2 Lemon, juice only
  
• 1 Tbsp. Cold Water
  
• 1/3 C Grana Padano, chopped
  
• 1/4 Tsp. Himalayan Salt
  
• Cracked Pepper
  
• ​Red Pepper Flakes
  

Spicy Sauce

• 1/4 C EVOO
• 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
  
• 1 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
  
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
  
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced (not green)
  
• 2 stalks Celery, diced
  
• 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
  
• 1 C White Wine (I Used Pinot)
  
• 796ml San Marzano Tomatoes
  
• Handful Fresh Basil
  
• 1 x Hard Cheese Rind
• 1/2 Tsp. + Himalayan Salt
  
• Cracked Pepper
  

Other

• 2 x Chinese Eggplants
• 8 x King's Hawaiian Slider Buns
• ​Pizza Mozzarella, sliced (about 16 super thin slices from the ball)
• Oil For Frying
• All Purpose Flour
• 1 Large Free Range Egg
• Italian Breadcrumbs
• 3 Tbsp. EVOO
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, crushed & minced
• 1/2 Tsp. Dried Oregano
• ​Grana Padano 
• Fresh Basil
  

Notes

• Want to cut the prep time on this recipe? Sub in your fave store-bought pesto or even your fave brand of marinara to reduce the ingredient list / prep time.
• You will have both leftover sauce and pesto. Both can be refrigerated for 4 - 5 days. Ideally, you would make a batch of pasta the following day and utilize the sauce / pesto.
• SAVE THIS PESTO RECIPE - Anytime I make a recipe that features pesto, it will be this recipe unless otherwise stated. I've tested this multiple times and it's just perfect.
• I don't own a proper fryer or a thermometer if I'm being honest lol I always heat my oil on just about medium and test it by dropping in little pieces of the breading. When it starts to rapidly bubble and float, that's when it's good to go. Alternately, I checked several recipes and it seems your temperature is ideally at 375 F, but this was not tested by me.

Directions

• PESTO- After toasting your pine nuts, add all of your ingredients, including a pinch of pepper flakes and cracked pepper, to a small vortex blender and blend until smooth and vibrant. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until assembly.​

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• SAUCE - Begin heating the EVOO, garlic, and pepper flakes in a large skillet set to just below medium heat. Once heated, let everything sizzle together for about 1 minutes, stirring as needed to keep the garlic from browning. Next, add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and a generous pinch of both salt & pepper. Stir and let those veggies cook about 8 - 10 minutes. Make a well in the center of the skillet and drop in the tomato paste. Let that sizzle about a minute in the center before stirring everything together and continuing to cook another couple minutes.
• Pour in the wine and let the wine simmer until mostly reduced at which point you'll add your canned tomatoes. Rinse the can with water about 1/3 of the way, swishing it around to catch all of the tomato pulp and pour that in to the skillet as well. As it comes to temp, use your wooden spoon or a potato masher to bust up the whole tomatoes a bit. Once the sauce starts bubbling away, stir in the 1/2 Tsp. salt, cheese rind, and fresh basil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for 30 minutes. 
• Pluck out the cheese rind & blend the sauce using your vortex blender (I have a Vitamix, make sure your blender is hot liquid approved) until smooth. Return to the skillet, taste, and adjust your salt your tastes. I found I needed another couple pinches at the end. Leave covered on low heat.
• Fill a small skillet 2/3 the way up with your cooking oil of choice and set the heat to just about medium. In the meantime, slice up your eggplants diagonally about 1/2" or a little larger is fine too. You'll need 16 pieces total. You'll probably also end up with some round slices which is totally fine as well.​

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• EGGPLANT - Get some flour on a plate. Whisk your egg in a small bowl with a splash of cold water and dump some Italian crumbs on to a separate plate. Start by coating your eggplant in flour, dunk in the egg, shaking off excess, and finish by coating in the crumbs. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and continue until they're all breaded.
• Once your oil is heated, cook the eggplant in batches, cooking them for a couple minutes per side until crisp and nice and golden. Once finished, transfer the cooked eggplant to a paper towel lined plate and hit them with salt right away. Continue until all eggplants are fried up.​

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• ASSEMBLY - Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray the inside of a baking dish large enough to accommodate the sliders with cooking spray and lay the bottoms of the buns in the dish. Spoon blended sauce on to the bottom of each bun. Place one piece of fried eggplant on each slider bun. Top the eggplants with the sliced mozz followed by a second piece of eggplant. Spread pesto on the tops of each bun and close them up.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the 3 Tbsp. EVOO, garlic, dried oregano, and fresh parsley. Brush this over the tops of the slider buns and grate some grana padano over the top.
• Bake the sliders for 12 - 15 minuets until golden brown on top with melty cheese. Grate additional grana over them after you take them out. Let them cool until handleable before garnishing the dish with basil and serving.
• I served the sliders with a bowl of the sauce for dunking. ENJOY!

HAPPY VEG