Caprese Eggplant Crostini

This eggplant crostini is simple, delicious, and bursting with color and flavor! Starting with a foundation of toasted Ciabatta, it is layered with grilled eggplants and caprese, then topped with a balsamic glaze. Caprese is a popular Italian salad that includes creamy fresh mozzarella, juicy red tomatoes, and fragrant basil, and is actually a fairly common topping for bruschetta or crostini.

This particular incarnation is not so common, however, and grilled eggplant may just be the perfect companion to caprese crostini! As if eggplant caprese wasn’t good enough, the sandwich is topped with a thick, aromatic Balsamic glaze to round out the dish with a sweet, tangy punch.

This easy, vegetarian recipe takes only 20 minutes to make and involves minimal cooking. Closed, this eggplant sandwich is great for casual brunch, lunch, or dinner, but open-faced can make terrific crostini for hors d’oeuvres or fancier occasions. Scroll down to see how you can make this beautiful, versatile dish!

Ingredients

• 1 Eggplant
• 1 lb. Ciabatta
• 16 oz. Fresh mozzarella
• 3 Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup Basil
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 1/4 cup Balsamic glaze

Balsamic Glaze

• 1 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup Honey or Brown sugar

Instructions

First, cut the eggplant crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Then, brush the eggplant slices with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and lightly salt them before either grilling them or pan-cooking them on the stove. I used an indoor panini grill to cook the eggplant.

• Indoor panini grill: Heat the grill to 375º F and cook the eggplant slices for 10 minutes.
• Grill: Preheat the grill and grill the eggplant slices for 10 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking process.
• Stove-top: Preheated the skillet on medium heat. Cook the eggplant slices for 5 minutes on each side.

Once the eggplant slices are cooked, set them aside.

While the sliced eggplant is cooking, slice the Ciabatta at an angle, such that the bread slices are wide enough to fit the eggplant slices. Drizzle the bread slices with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and briefly toast them on the panini grill, grill, or stove-top once the eggplant slices are finished cooking.

Slice the tomatoes and fresh mozzarella into 1/2-inch-thick slices, as well. The basil can be thinly sliced.

For the balsamic glaze, you can either simply buy the glaze at the grocery store, or make it yourself using balsamic vinegar and brown sugar or honey.

Making the balsamic glaze is surprisingly easy. Mix 1 cup of balsamic vinegar with 1/4 cup of brown sugar or honey and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Then, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until the vinegar is reduced and it becomes a syrupy glaze. The finished product will be thick enough to coat a spoon.

Once all the ingredients are prepared, assemble the eggplant sandwich. On a piece of Ciabatta, add one or two slices of eggplant, a slice of mozzarella, then a slice of tomato. Top it off with basil and balsamic glaze. You can either stop here and enjoy these delectable, open-face crostini, or add another slice of bread on top to make a full sandwich.

If you like this Italian-inspired Caprese Eggplant Sandwich recipe, you might also like The Very Best Chicken Parmigiana and Favorite Pesto Chicken and Gnocchi. Also, subscribe via email or follow on Instagram to be sure you get all my latest recipes!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Caprese Eggplant Crostini

Toasted, sliced Ciabatta topped with tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, and balsamic glaze.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, brunch, dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: 30-minute meal, easy recipe, hors h’oeuvre, vegetarian

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 Eggplant medium
• 1 lb Ciabatta
• 16 oz. Fresh mozzarella
• 3 Tomatoes
• ½ cup Basil
• ¼ cup Olive oil
• ¼ cup Balsamic glaze

Balsamic Glaze

• 1 cup Balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup Brown sugar or Honey

Instructions

• Slice the eggplant cross-wise, ½-inch thick. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and cook for 10 minutes on a 375° F preheated panini grill, outdoor grill, or stove-top. If using an outdoor grill or stove, flip the eggplant halfway through the cooking process. Set the cooked eggplant slices aside.
• Slice the Ciabatta to ½-inch thickness. Cut the bread at an angle to ensure the bread slices are wide enough to fit the eggplant slices. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and briefly toast until they have golden-brown grill marks—about 5 minutes on the panini grill, 1 minute on the grill, or 4 minutes on the stove-top.
• Slice the tomatoes and fresh mozzarella to ½-inch thickness. Thinly slice the basil.
• Top the Ciabatta slices with eggplant, mozzarella, tomato, and then basil. Drizzle with balsamic glaze. Enjoy open-face as crostini or add another slice of bread on top to make full sandwiches.

Balsamic Glaze

• Add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to a sauce pan and bring it to a gentle boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes to reduce the balsamic vinegar so that it is thick enough to coat a spoon.

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