Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
Simple 10-ingredient vegan parmesan that yields perfectly crispy, savory eggplant that pairs perfectly with red sauce and the pasta of your choice! A healthy filling dinner even picky eaters will love.
PREP TIME 45minutes minutes
COOK TIME 30minutes minutes
TOTAL TIME 1hour hour 15minutes minutes
Servings 2
Course Entrée
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Italian-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? Best when fresh
EGGPLANT PARMESAN
- 1 medium eggplant (as narrow as possible)*
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or other flour of choice – GF for gluten-free eaters)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (GF for gluten-free eaters)
- 2 Tbsp vegan parmesan (plus more for serving // or sub 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast per 2 Tbsp vegan parmesan)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (or double the amount if using fresh oregano)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or other neutral milk)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
PASTA + SAUCE
- 8 ounces pasta (such as linguini, but any kind will do, including veggie noodles or gluten-free)
- 2 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Slice eggplant into thin rounds slightly less than 1/2 inch thick, and sprinkle each side liberally with sea salt. Arrange in a circular pattern in a colander and place in the sink to draw out the bitter taste of the eggplant.
- Let rest for 15 minutes, then rinse and arrange on a clean absorbent kitchen towel. Top with another clean dish towel and lay a baking sheet on top. Place something heavy on top, such as a cast iron skillet, to thoroughly dry for at least 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a baking sheet with foil and spritz with nonstick spray. Also, if making pasta, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Prepare your dipping stations by placing almond milk + cornstarch in one bowl; flour in another bowl; and bread crumbs + sea salt + oregano + vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast) in another bowl.
- Once thoroughly dry, dip eggplant slices in flour, then almond milk mixture, then breadcrumbs. Arrange on the baking sheet and pop in oven to bake for a total of 20-30 minutes.
- IMPORTANT STEP: While the eggplant is in the oven, bring a large skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp olive oil (or sub avocado oil // adjust amount if altering default number of servings) and pull 3-4 eggplant rounds out of the oven at a time and sauté to give them extra crisp and texture. Cook for ~2 minutes on each side (or browned) and then return to oven to continue crisping. Do this in batches until all rounds are browned.
- While eggplant is browning in the oven, prepare marinara. I prefer adding my tomato sauce and spices to a serving bowl and microwaving to warm, but you could also heat it on the stove. Set aside.
- Once done cooking, drain pasta and cover with a towel to keep warm. Set aside.
- To serve: Plate pasta and eggplant slices and marinara in a dish as a dipping sauce. Additional vegan parmesan cheese makes an excellent topper.
- Leftovers don’t really reheat well, so it’s best when fresh. See notes for additional tips on crispy eggplant!
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with whole wheat pasta.
*EGGPLANT TIPS!
– Buy a narrow eggplant – the really big wide ones don’t get as crisp!
– Don’t skip the salt / drain step – it really helps draw out the bitterness.
– Once coated, make sure you get the eggplant in the oven as quickly as possible so it doesn’t sit there absorbing any excess moisture.
– Really press down on the eggplant after rinsing to ensure you get all of the water out you can.
– Although it’s an extra step, browning the eggplant in the skillet in addition to baking yields the crispiest result!
Nutrition (1 of 2 servings)
Serving: 1 serving Calories: 654 Carbohydrates: 125.7 g Protein: 21.5 gFat: 11.2 g Saturated Fat: 1.8 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.5 g Monounsaturated Fat: 3.2 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 1455 mg Potassium: 1801 mg Fiber: 20.2 g Sugar: 32.8 g Vitamin A: 332 IU Vitamin C: 36 mg Calcium: 225 mg Iron: 6.2 mg