Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches with Miso Mayo
These vegetarian Asian Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches are flavorful and easy to make! They're served with kimchi and miso mayo on toasted buns.
Servings: 6
Calories: 487kcal
Equipment
- Grill charcoal or gas
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants Italian or American eggplants
- 6 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. kosher salt split
- ½ tsp. pepper split
- ½ cup mayo
- 2 Tbsp. miso paste white or yellow
- 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 2 cups kimchi store-bought or homemade
- 6 gluten free buns or regular buns if not gluten free
- ¼ cup Thai basil for garnish optional
Instructions
For The Eggplant:
- Wash and dry 2 medium-sized Italian (or globe) eggplants. Cut the top and bottom portion of the eggplants off and discard. Peel the eggplants if desired (peeling them is not necessary).
- Cut each eggplant into slices that are ½ inch thick. Try to cut them the same size to ensure that they cook evenly on the grill.
- Place the sliced eggplant on a baking sheet and brush the first side with 3 Tbsp. olive oil using a basting brush. Try to distribute the olive oil evenly over all of the eggplant slices.The eggplant should be coated, but not saturated with olive oil.
- Sprinkle ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper over the eggplant slices. Flip all of the eggplant over and repeat the process again. Brush another 3 Tbsp. olive oil over the second side and sprinkle with another ¼ tsp. kosher salt and pepper.
- Heat either a charcoal grill or gas grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once heated, place the sliced eggplant on the grill grates over direct heat. Place the cover on the grill and cook over direct heat for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, flip each of the eggplant slices, cover the grill, and cook for another 5 minutes over the direct heat. Remove the sliced eggplant from the grill and set aside.The eggplant should be tender, but not mushy when done cooking. Feel free to cook an additional couple of minutes if needed.
- Toast the buns on the grill just until the bread is slightly crispy.
For The Miso Mayo:
- Place ½ cup of mayo, 2 Tbsp. miso paste, 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Stir all of these ingredients until completely combined using a small whisk or fork. The mixture will be a little clumpy at first. Continue to whisk until the miso paste has completely incorporated into the mayo. The mixture should be smooth and creamy once combined.
- Slather a generous amount of the miso mayo onto one (or both) sides of a toasted bun. Add 2-3 slices of grilled eggplant on top of the mayo.
- Spoon a generous amount of kimchi (store-bought or homemade) on top of the sliced eggplant. Garnish the sandwich with a few sprigs of Thai basil (optional).
Notes
More kosher salt and pepper may be added to the grilled eggplant if needed.
Feel free to use vegan mayo and vegan kimchi to keep this recipe vegan.
Make sure to check the labels of the miso, rice wine vinegar, and kimchi to make sure the products used are gluten free if gluten is an issue for you.
You can add as many eggplant slices to each sandwich as you like.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 1039mg | Potassium: 427mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg