This warm and cheesy Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich is one of the BEST vegetarian sandwiches I’ve ever had! Crispy eggplant, flavorful pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese combine to make this wonderful, easy Meatless Monday lunch or dinner!
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Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich
Whether you’re making this sandwich for lunch or dinner, you won’t be disappointed. The thick, crispy slices of eggplant topped with warm mozzarella cheese and hearty RAGÚ® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce is simply too delicious to resist. I’m not a vegetarian, but believe me when I say that I’d reach for this sandwich before a chicken parm any day!
I can’t imagine using another pasta sauce that’s not RAGÚ Sauce. Spooning this sauce onto an Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich is a quick and easy way to make the meal ten times more scrumptious! For more than 80 years, people have been using RAGÚ Pasta Sauces to create delicious dishes their families love. After taking one bite of this sandwich, I’m sure you’ll see why!
Helping Kids Fall In Love With Vegetable-Based Dishes
As you can see, my son Milo is now a big advocate for eggplant! This Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich recipe is so good, it’s approved by all three of my kids. I never thought I’d be able to get them all to agree to a meal so centered around a vegetable, but when it is perfectly complemented with red pasta sauce, one of their favorites, they can’t get enough!
The combination of crispy eggplant, RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional Pasta Sauce and mozzarella cheese is a winner. We love RAGÚ Pasta Sauces because they are a time-saver during busy weeknights, ensuring we always have a balanced and delectable dinner on the table for the kiddos.
Cooking a simple meal with RAGÚ Pasta Sauces is a great activity to engage kids and start teaching them basic kitchen skills. Having the kids help me with dinner really gets them excited to try what we made — even if it is new or features veggies!
These are crazy times we’re living in, but I’m grateful for every minute my kids are at home, making me laugh and acting as my own personal culinary assistants!
How To Serve Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches
When it comes to these delectable sandwiches, I usually serve them all by themselves with an extra bowl of RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional Sauce on the side for dipping!
If you’re looking to add a side dish, I recommend a version of fries (think sweet potato, zucchini or traditional potato fries) or even a side salad.
Ingredients For Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches
You’ll be happy to know that you might already have the majority of these simple ingredients in your pantry now.
- RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional Sauce
- Italian Bread Crumbs
- Panko Bread Crumbs
- Parmesan Cheese
- Italian Seasoning
- Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Black Pepper
- Flour
- Eggs
- Eggplant
- Olive Oil Spray
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Buns
- Fresh Basil
RAGÚ Pasta Sauces
I recommend RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional Pasta Sauce because I love its classic flavor! RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional is made with real ingredients like vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped onions, garlic and olive oil, simmered together for the authentic, delicious taste you’ll want to come back to again and again.
RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional Pasta Sauce contains NO artificial colors and NO high-fructose corn syrup, so I feel great about including it in easy weeknight meals my whole family loves.
However, if you are having trouble finding this specific RAGÚ sauce in today’s crazy grocery–store world, any RAGÚ Red Pasta Sauce can be used in its place for the same amazing flavor from California-grown tomatoes!
How To Make Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches
- On a plate, combine both types of bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Place the flour on a separate plate, and the beaten eggs in a shallow bowl.
2. Dip each slice of eggplant (both sides) into the flour first, then into the beaten eggs and finally into the breadcrumb mixture last.
Place the coated eggplant slices on a plate and continue until all eggplant slices are coated. Then, spray the eggplant slices on each side with olive oil.
3. Preheat the air fryer to 375°F. Place the breaded eggplant rounds in the air fryer basket and make sure they are not touching. Working in batches is necessary for the following few steps.
4. Cook for 8 minutes, then flip each round. Cook until desired crispiness is achieved, about 4 minutes more.
5. Leaving the slices on the air fryer basket, top each cooked eggplant slice with a spoonful of RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional Sauce and 1 slice of mozzarella cheese. (This is usually where I let the kids help me! They love topping the slices with the sauce and cheese.)
6. Place the basket back in the air fryer and cook until the cheese starts to melt. This should just take 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from air fryer basket, and repeat with remaining eggplant slices as necessary!
7. Stack 2 eggplant parmesan slices inside of each toasted bun. Top with fresh basil and extra warmed sauce as desired. Serve fresh!
I can’t say enough good things about these amazing Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches. The crispy, juicy eggplant slices are air fried until perfectly crispy, then given extra layers of flavor through the RAGÚ red sauce and mozzarella cheese. Nestled between toasted buns and fresh basil, it’s hard not to devour this delectable Italian-inspired sandwich.
What brings it all together? This fantastic sauce! RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional Pasta Sauce is truly simmered in tradition. The age-old RAGÚ blend of farm-grown ingredients and flavorful herbs creates a classic, aromatic sauce that your family will love. Try it for dinner tonight!
Looking for more delicious veggie-focused dishes featuring RAGÚ? Try my favorite Vegetable Ravioli Lasagna!
Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- Olive oil spray
- 1 cup RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional Pasta Sauce, or more to taste
- 8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more/less as needed
- Buns/Sliders, toasted
- Fresh Basil, optional topping
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Instructions
- 1. On a plate, combine both types of bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Place the flour on a separate plate, and the beaten eggs in a shallow bowl.
- 2. Dip each slice of eggplant (both sides) into the flour first, then into the beaten eggs and finally into the breadcrumb mixture last. Place the coated eggplant slices on a plate and continue until all eggplant slices are coated. Then, spray the eggplant slices on each side with olive oil.
- 3. Preheat the air fryer to 375°F. Place the breaded eggplant rounds in the air fryer basket and make sure they are not touching. Working in batches is necessary for the following few steps.
- 4. Cook for 8 minutes, then flip each round. Cook until desired crispiness is achieved, about 4 minutes more.
- 5. Leaving the slices on the air fryer basket, top each cooked eggplant slice with a spoonful of RAGÚ Old World Style Traditional Sauce and 1 slice of mozzarella cheese. (This is usually where I let the kids help me! They love topping the slices with the sauce and cheese.)
- 6. Place the basket back in the air fryer and cook until the cheese starts to melt. This should just take 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from air fryer basket, and repeat with remaining eggplant slices as necessary!
- 7. Stack 2 eggplant parmesan slices inside of each toasted bun. Top with fresh basil and extra warmed sauce as desired. Serve fresh!
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I made this tonight and it was great. We cooked the eggplant an extra minute on our air fryer and it was delicious.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it Shellie!