I think you either love eggplant or you don’t.
I would eat eggplant everyday, all the time, anyway you served it to me. Vegan eggplant parm being my fave!
My family that is pretty divided on issue. My neighbors Yanira and Dustin are fans however, and now when I want to bake up a big pan of vegan eggplant parm, I just take 1/3 of it to them!! And truly I just can’t understand why, WHY, my kids don’t adore this cheesy, gooey, saucy, perfect dish like I do.
Next to a “meatball” sub, vegan eggplant parm is hands down my favorite Italian dish. And before I was vegan it was the dish I always ordered when we went out to eat Italian.
I like it best when it is cooked in layers like a lasagna. I like to cut into multiple layers or perfectly fried eggplant, gooey cheese, and marinara. I also like it with a nice big side of pasta!
And here is the thing, vegan eggplant parm is actually easy to make. It’s a little time consuming, so if you have your heart set on a quick weeknight, 30 minute dinner, this isn’t it. You could however prep this vegan eggplant the night before and pop it in the fridge. That way it would be ready for the oven when you get home from work or whenever you are ready to bake it. You can also divide the recipe bake it in two smaller dishes, and pop one in the freezer for later! Especially if you are single or have a smaller family and don’t need a 9x13 pan of eggplant parm at one time.
The all purpose vegan cheese sauce that is used in the this recipe is my go to for dishes like this. I use it for vegan lasagna, to top pizza, for making enchiladas, quesadillas, Mac and cheese, and even grilled cheese. I make a lot of vegan cheese and have almost 40 vegan cheese recipes on the the site including sliceable and shreddable mozzarella, but for recipes like this vegan eggplant parmesan, you want a super gooey, melty vegan cheese, and this cheese sauce is exactly what you want. Its magic and you WILL probably find yourself licking the pot. I don’t judge!!! This vegan cheese sauce recipe easily becomes a staple once you make it and learn the magic that it is. It is cashew bases BUT you can easily swap sunflower seeds in and equal amount if you are allergic or to save money. Its still just as good!!
So if you have been wanting, needing, craving, vegan eggplant parm, get to it! It is saucy, fried, baked, cheesy comfort food with a side of carby noodles for good measure. So basally it’s food perfection by my standards!
INGREDIENTS:
2 medium sized eggplants
2 cups vegan breadcrumbs or matzah meal for Passover
1 cup plant based milk
1/2 cup vegan plain unsweetened yogurt
1/3 tapioca or corn starch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese, homemade or store bought
neutral flavored oil good for frying
pasta noodles (we use spaghetti noodles)
MARINARA SAUCE:
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon each, thyme, rosemary, basil, salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
*if you don’t want to make your own sauce from scratch you can mix your favorite jar or pasta sauce with one drained 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, and 14 cup wine
INSTRUCTIONS:
Begin by preparing the All Purpose Cheese Sauce and setting aside.
Next make the sauce by adding the diced onion to a medium sized pot with a teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Let the onions cook until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and red wine. Stir and let the onion, garlic, and wine cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and spices and reduce the heat to low. Allow the sauce to simmer while you prepare the eggplant.
Next, wash and slice the eggplant lengthwise about 1/4 of an inch thick.
Set out three shallow dishes or pie plates. In one dish add the starch. In another add the plant milk and yogurt whisked together. In the last dish add the breadcrumbs, salt and garlic powder.
First dip a slice of eggplant in the starch, making sure to cover it completely. Next dip in the milk mixture, and finally into the breadcrumbs, again making sure each piece it coated.
Place a metal cooling rack on top of a paper towel lined cookie sheet. If you do not have a cooling rack you can place a few paper towels on a cookie sheet. Placing the fried eggplant onto the cooling rack allows excess oil to drip off and helps keeps the eggplant crispy. Place near stove.
Heat a few inches of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is nice and hot, add 3 or 4 slice of eggplant at a time, depending on pan size. Allow each piece to fry on each side for a few minutes or until each side is crispy and golden brown. Repeat with all remaining eggplant, placing fried pieces onto the cooling rack.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To build the eggplant parm, add about 1/2 cup of marinara to the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Next add a layer or eggplant. Add sauce to the top, then spread a thin layer of cheese sauce over the marinara. If the cheese sauce has gotten too thick after cooling, add a few tablespoons of water and reheat, whisking the water in. The cheese sauce will thin it back out once reheated so it will spread easily.
Repeat this process of layering eggplant, sauce, and cheese, the top layer ending with cheese sauce. Sprinkle the top with vegan parm, and a little dried basil if you like. Place pan on middle oven rack and bake for about 45 minutes.
If you are serving with pasta, cook according to package directions 20 minutes before eggplant is finished baking.
Slice as you would lasagna and serve with a side of pasta.
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