Recipe

Eat Your Veg and Enjoy it Too With This Eggplant Parm Grilled Cheese

By Isabella Darby at University of Oxford

Who doesn't like a good grilled cheese?

Aside from the lactose intolerant, perhaps, and vegans, I think one can safely say, pretty much no one. Quick, easy, and versatile, they're the staple of any overworked, time-short, cheese-loving student — myself included. But even a cheese lover can get bored; hence, why I came up with this eggplant Parm grilled cheese.

Being lucky enough to have a mother who was an avid cook and insisted on full, nutritious meals, the grilled cheese was actually a rather elusive treat for me until I left home for university. At which point, no longer under the strict maternal eye, I proceeded to indulge in the crusty, cheesy delight pretty regularly.

However, by the end of term — at which point I was living off Domino's, pasta, and more leftover Domino's — I was craving real food, I was craving vegetables. Not enough to resort to a salad, nor sad bland boiled veg, but enough to make myself consider how I could incorporate some green into my cheese-laden life.

I resorted to my favourite vegetable dish, the Italian melanzane parmiagiana — affectionately known in American English as eggplant Parm. Slices of soft aubergine nestled in tomato sauce and oozing with melted mozzarella and Parmesan — what's not to love?

The actual dish requires much more effort than this eggplant Parm grilled cheese sandwich, as well as an oven. This sandwich version is much more convenient. Not to mention the extra layer of crunch created by the Parmesan crust!