Eggplant Marinara Flatbread

The cool thing about working part time at a bookstore is that…well, you get to see all the new books that come out! You can talk to customers about good books they’ve read and skim through books from all different genres in hopes to find a new and fun read.

Recently this 50 Shades of Grey trilogy has blown up. Gone crazy. Made people mad excited. It’s cool, I get it, and since these books are my store’s biggest seller by far, I knew I had to read it. So, I did…and the book had me hooked.

It’s weird, the entire story is unbelievable, the writing is bad, the male character is seriously messed up and into painful sex, but there I was….reading my sexy book in the park while sipping iced tea, in bed at night while my boyfriend made fun of me, and in between baking times while my cookies were in the oven.

I guess I’m just like everyone else. I couldn’t get enough of it. The only thing that seriously confuses me though is when customers come into the store and say “the book is life changing” or “the best book ever” or “it has amazing writing and plot”….really?! Have these people ever even read a book before? Who knows. And if this book is actually life changing, I do not want to know what’s going on inside their bedrooms…or maybe I do. Creepy.

Anyway! On to flatbread. Delicious, amazing, chewy, flatbread. This appetizer seriously rocks my world, and will totally rock yours too. It has herbed goat cheese, mozzarella, marinara and buttery eggplant on ciabatta. YES!

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Lay the eggplant in the heated skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, turning, until the eggplant is lightly browned on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Brush the cut side of the bread slices with the remaining oil and cook in the warm skillet on medium-high heat until golden brown, 1-2 minutes.

Lay the bread, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Spread a thin layer of the marinara sauce on each slice. Crumble the goat cheese over the marinara and sprinkle with chopped basil. Lay the eggplant slices on top of the marinara. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the eggplant slices and dot lightly with remaining marinara sauce. Just like the picture!

Bake until the topping is hot and slightly browned, about 12 minutes. Slice into small pieces.

Enjoy!

Eggplant Marinara Flatbread
Recipe taken from Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
6 (1/3-1/2-inch thick) slices eggplant, about 4 inches in diameter
I loaf of ciabatta (or Italian), cut in half
Marinara sauce (about 1 cup)
1 oz. soft fresh goat cheese (I used herbed)
1 cup coarsely grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Lay the eggplant in the heated skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, turning, until the eggplant is lightly browned on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Brush the cut side of the bread slices with the remaining oil and cook in the warm skillet on medium-high heat until golden brown, 1-2 minutes.

Lay the bread, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Spread a thin layer of the marinara sauce on each slice. Crumble the goat cheese over the marinara and sprinkle with chopped basil. Lay the egg plant slices on top of the marinara. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the eggplant slices and dot lightly with remaining marinara sauce.

Bake until the topping is hot and slightly browned, about 12 minutes. Slice into small pieces.