This delicious and wholesome recipe is a vegan take on Parmigiana, an Italian dish made with layers of breaded eggplants, tomato sauce, Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. While the classic dish is quite heavy and consists of multiple steps, this recipe that I tweaked is much lighter and simpler to execute.
Eggplant is a neutral tasting fruit that absorbs flavours very well. Its texture can be soft or crispy, depending on how it’s prepared. For this dish, we want the eggplant to be very crunchy so we are going to create a nice breading around it.
To do so, we first need to take out three bowls and fill them with our breading ingredients. In the first bowl, simply put flour (for people with gluten sensitivity, use gluten-free flour and add about a tablespoon of cornstarch). In the second one, plant-based milk and cornstarch (to replace the egg). Finally, the third bowl is for the breadcrumbs mixture (you can also use gluten-free breadcrumbs).
After cutting the eggplant in 1/2″ round slices, dip each slice one by one into the three bowls following this order : flour, milk, breadcrumbs. Then, place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Rather than pan-frying the eggplant like the traditional recipe, we will bake them in the oven for 25-30 minutes without any oil. This will create a similar and healthier crunchy result.
Once the eggplant is crisp and ready, you can start assembling the dish by layering the eggplants directly on a plate. Spoon some marinara sauce over, top with vegan parmesan cheese and you’re ready to go!
Speaking of marinara, if you’re really ambitious about making everything from scratch, you can easily whip one up in under 30 minutes while the eggplants are in the oven. See my recipe down below for step-by-step instructions using simple ingredients.
This rich and comforting dish does require a bit more time and effort than other recipes on my blog (especially if you make the vegan parmesan and marinara sauce from scratch), but believe me, it’s so worth it! Make this meal even more special by pairing it with this amazing Caesar salad and a piece of garlic bread.
If you try this recipe, let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment down below, or you can post a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #thegreengalley. Buon appetito!
Eggplant “Parmesan” with marinara
Ingredients
Eggplant Parmesan
- 1 eggplant
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs (regular of gluten-free)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp Italian spice blend (or DIY : oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme…)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup flour (all-purpose, gluten-free… whatever you have)
- ½ cup plant-based milk
- 1 tsp corn starch
- ½ tsp salt
Marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- 1 can diced or crushed tomatoes (or about 5-6 fresh tomatoes)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped finely
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp parsley
- ½ tsp crushed chili pepper (optional)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Topping
- Fresh basil leaves
- Vegan cashew "parmesan"
Instructions
Eggplant parmesan
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Cut the eggplant into ½-inch slices.
- Assemble the breading station : Take out 3 bowls. In the first one, add the flour. In the second, whisk the plant-based milk and corn starch together. In the third bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, italien spices, garlic powder and salt.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. One by one, dip each eggplant slice into flour, then milk, then breadcrumbs mixture to coat all sides, then place on baking pan. Repeat for all slices.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping the eggplant half way through. (Alternatively, you can pan fry the eggplant in a large skillet at medium-heat.)
- Assemble the plates by placing a few slices of crisp eggplant and covering them with marinara sauce. Sprinkle with vegan cashew parmesan and top with a fresh basil leaf.
Marinara sauce
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onion until golden brown, around 3-4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, dried spices and salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- For a less chunky sauce, use an immersion blender to blend directly from the pot. Add the fresh basil, give it a last stir and it's ready to serve.
