Our BLT Stacks with Eggplant are an easy to make dinner that cross the classic Eggplant Parmesan with the BLT sandwich. Bacon, tomato & spinach are piled high on a slice of eggplant Parmesan then topped with cheese. And they take less than 30 minutes start to finish. Great as an appetizer too!
I'm a marketing person from way back and we always ran promotions for back-to-school time and called them BTS promos. Well, those 3 letters gave me a great idea that is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner or even a game day appetizer.
This is my take on the popular BLT with a few small tweaks that makes them just a bit healthier. I like to call it my BTS Stack. So you are probably wondering what the BTS stands for, well, let me tell you. I am sure you guessed the B was for bacon but it can also stand for the basil I added (I know I cheated having two that start with B but hey it's my recipe) and yes, the T is for tomato. Now, here comes the change, I switched regular lettuce for healthier spinach, hence the S. See, BTS Stacks instead of BLT Stacks with Eggplant. 🙂 We'll keep the spinach part our little secret as kids seem to turn up their noses at the mention of anything green.
Today I stacked all these goodies on top of a frozen eggplant parm slice which saves tons of time but you can also make your own if you prefer. Look how quick and easy it is to stack it up!
Simple steps to make BLT Stacks with Eggplant
- Pan fry eggplant Parmesan pieces 2. Place a slice of tomato on top of eggplant 3. Lay cooked bacon strips on top of tomato 4. Pile on several spinach and basil leaves 5. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese 6. Bake
Now, the biggest test, getting it by my husband! What did her think? He actually thought they were super delicious, and keep in mind that he is not a big eggplant fan by any stretch of the imagination, and stated that it was the best eggplant he ever had. Yay! And he even said I can serve this BLT Stack with Eggplant for dinner any time I wanted. Double yay!
And with football season right around the corner, you can also use the same stack and place on zucchini rounds (for a small bite appetizer) or on French bread slices for a heartier appetizer. They're all so tasty that I'll leave it up to you to decide which you like best. They're easy to make ahead of time too. All you have to do is bring them to room temperature and put them in the oven right before you need them.
Want more appetizer ideas? How about delicious Bacon Wrapped Garlic Shrimp Crostini, Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Mushroom or easy Hot Tuna Dip?!
Enjoy!
BLT Stacks with Eggplant
Ingredients
Eggplant Base (for homemade version)
- 1 eggplant sliced into 8 ½" slices or 1 package frozen eggplant parmesan rounds
- Light extra virgin olive oil
- 12 pcs cooked bacon 1-½ pcs per eggplant slice
- 2 large tomatoes or 8 slices
- 16 baby spinach leaves or more to suit your preference 2 per eggplant slice
- 16 leaves basil 2 per eggplant slice
- 1 ½ -2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Coating:
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 ¼ cup panko crumbs
- ⅓ cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line several large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Purchase a package of frozen Eggplant Parmesan rounds and skip to topping step or follow the 4 steps below for making your own then proceed with topping.
- To prepare the eggplant, wash then slice into ½" slices. Make sure to purchase organic produce so that you can leave the skin on. This ensures that you get the most vitamins and fiber from the vegetable.
- Place flour, salt & pepper on a flat plate. Mix egg, water and minced garlic in wide-mouthed bowl. On another plate, mix panko, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and lemon zest.
- Heat a large skillet with a small amount of light extra virgin olive oil.
- Dredge each slice of eggplant in flour mixture then dip into egg wash followed by another dredging in panko mixture. Immediately add to skillet and cook each side until golden brown. Place on prepared cookie sheet.
- Top each eggplant slice with 1-½ pieces bacon, slice of tomato, spinach leaves and basil then top with shredded mozzarella.
- Bake in oven for 11-13 minutes or until cheese is melted and stack is heated through. If made ahead of time and refrigerated, bring stack to room temperature then cook as stated above.
Nutrition
Sues says
This is totally my kind of dinner! Nice and healthy, but also still with some indulgence in the cheese and bacon. So delicious, it even gets my husband to eat eggplant!
Linda Warren says
That's what got me excited too! My husband finally said he liked eggplant (but just fixed that way).
Madi says
Combining a BLT and eggplant is a brilliant idea! I can't wait to make this for dinner!
Linda Warren says
It really was super delicious and makes a filling satisfying dinner. It was so good that I even made it for gameday appetizers too with a zucchini base for the girls and French bread for the guys.