Grilled Eggplant Bruschetta

This was a nice way to use some eggplant. We actually served this with our Lamb meal but thought we would hold off on the post (give us some time to come up with some new stuff). Be sure you are going to make a lot of bruschetta or else you may have a good bit of eggplant left over. Pretty easy to do just like any other bruschetta you just have to set aside few extra minutes to grill the eggplant and the bruschetta.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant (1 1/4˜1 1/2 pounds), cut into 12 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• Canola or olive oil cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 4 small pieces focaccia bread or rustic Italian bread
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, divided

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Place eggplant rounds on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Coat both sides lightly with cooking spray. Combine Parmesan (or Asiago) and mozzarella in a small bowl. Brush both sides of focaccia (or bread) with oil.
3. Place spinach in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and punch several holes in the wrap. Microwave on High until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Combine tomatoes and 2 tablespoons basil in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until bubbling, about 2 minutes.
4. Place all your ingredients on the baking sheet with the eggplant and take it to the grill. Grill the eggplant slices until brown and soft on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Grill the bread until toasted, about 1 minute per side. Return the eggplant and bread to the baking sheet. Reduce grill heat to medium.
5. Place 1 eggplant round on top of each slice of bread. Layer 1 tablespoon tomatoes, 1 tablespoon wilted spinach and 1 tablespoon cheese on each slice of eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, spinach and cheese. Sprinkle each stack with some of the remaining basil. Place the baking sheet on the grill, close the lid and grill until the eggplant stack is hot and the cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes.