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Sunday dinners name for this Vegan Eggplant Parmesan. The layers of crispy Italian-seasoned eggplant slices, melted cheese, and marinara sauce are so comforting and ideal for serving over pasta. Vegan, Gluten-Free Possibility.
Eggplant parm has at all times been a vegetarian favourite, however for us vegans, the egg dip and dairy-heavy layers have saved it off the desk… till now! This VeganEggplant Parmesan Recipe is oh-so tacky and comforting, making it an immediate hit at household dinners. Nobody will even discover that it’s vegan!
Desk of Contents
A Tacky Italian Traditional Made Vegan
Something lined in melted cheese and tomato sauce is sweet in my books, together with eggplant parmesan. Factor is, the standard recipe often makes use of eggs within the liquid batter, making it removed from being vegan-friendly.
I couldn’t resist the temptation of the crispy eggplant slices, marinara, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese any longer, and so my Vegan Eggplant Parmesan Recipe was born!
After a number of testing, I discovered that the eggs from the traditional recipe may simply get replaced with a mixture of cornstarch and oil. The fattiness within the oil works simply in addition to eggs, serving to the sticky batter cling to the eggplant and bake up good and crisp. Now, I can take pleasure in as a lot of the crunchy, saucy, melty goodness as I need—no eggs or dairy wanted!
What You Want for Dairy-Free Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant parmesan might not be the quickest dinner recipe on my weblog, however it’s probably the greatest! Even higher, you solely want contemporary eggplant, pantry staples, and easy seasonings to make it:
- Eggplant: whenever you’re buying, search for agency, shiny eggplants with easy skins and no delicate spots. Don’t fear about peeling the eggplant—leaving the pores and skin on will assist hold your slices intact.
- Soy Milk: or use the unsweetened non-dairy milk of your selection.
- Cornstarch: a thickening agent that yields a thick and sticky batter that can cling to the eggplant slices. Be at liberty to make use of arrowroot powder instead.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: technically any kind of breadcrumbs will work right here, however you’ll by no means go improper with panko. These Japanese-style breadcrumbs are further gentle and ethereal, giving the baked eggplant slices some critical crunch.
- Herbs and Seasonings: the breadcrumbs are seasoned with dried oregano, contemporary thyme, purple chili flakes, paprika, salt, and pepper. You need to use dried thyme as an alternative of contemporary, however you’ll want to scale back the quantity to 1/2 teaspoon as a result of dried herbs have a extra concentrated taste.
- Marinara Sauce: go for a high quality jar of store-bought marinara sauce to provide your dish the perfect taste. Should you don’t have jarred marinara available, use one other seasoned tomato sauce you want. Even my Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce will style nice right here!
- Vegan Cheese: use a high quality model of vegan parmesan cheese (I like Violife the perfect as a result of you’ll be able to shred it from the block) and a meltable vegan shredded mozzarella for the melty, tacky high layer.
Make Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
- Whisk the salt and water collectively in a big pot till the salt dissolves. Add the sliced eggplant to the water and let it soak.
- In the meantime, stir the oil, soy milk, cornstarch, and salt collectively in a small bowl.
- Add the breadcrumbs to a large bowl, then combine within the dairy-free parmesan, herbs, and seasonings. Switch half of the breadcrumb combination to a separate bowl.
- Pat the eggplant slices dry earlier than dipping one into the moist batter. Switch the slice to the breadcrumb bowl and coat it on each side, then place it on a ready baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
- Roast the breaded eggplant within the oven till the breadcrumbs are golden.
- Unfold among the marinara throughout the underside of a baking dish, then high with a layer of baked eggplant slices. Dollop extra marinara over high, then add a layer of cheese. Repeat these layers till you run out of eggplant.
- Bake the eggplant parm till the sauce is bubbly and the cheese has melted.
- Garnish the casserole with contemporary basil and serve whereas it’s sizzling.
Caitlin’s Cooking Ideas
- Take a look at run the layering: Earlier than I do something, I like to put the sliced eggplant rounds in my casserole dish to get a really feel for the way the eggplant will stack. For this recipe, I used a 9×13” baking dish and ended up with six stacks of three eggplant slices every.
- Don’t skip salting the eggplant. Let’s face it… Eggplant is bitter, and we have to take away that taste as a way to make our eggplant parm the tastiest. Brining the slices in a salt water resolution will draw out aaaaall of that bitterness and extra moisture, serving to the slices style their greatest and bake up good and crispy.
- Overwhelm the eggplant slices: In case your eggplant slices are floating to the highest of the salt water resolution, weigh them down with a small pot lid or plate so that they keep totally submerged.
Serving Options
Identical to tofu parmesan, eggplant parmesan is a traditional Italian-American dinner. I wish to make it for extravagant Sunday dinners paired with slices of this Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread and a facet of this On a regular basis Kale Salad. After I need to stretch the meal even additional, I’ll serve the baked eggplant stacks over a mattress of al dente pasta or creamy vegan polenta.
Should you’re in search of extra vegan variations of your favourite Italian dishes, you’ll additionally love this Vegan Eggplant Lasagna, this Vegan “Rooster” Piccata, and this Vegan Tempeh Marsala!
Retailer Leftover Eggplant Parmesan
As soon as it has cooled, the leftover baked eggplant parm will hold for as much as 5 days within the fridge. Maintain the leftovers in a lined baking dish or switch them to an hermetic container to maintain them contemporary.
For the perfect texture, reheat as a lot eggplant parm as you propose on consuming in a 375ºF oven or toaster oven till warmed via and re-crisped. The microwave additionally works, however the leftovers simply gained’t be fairly as crispy the second time round.
To make eggplant parmesan prematurely, bread and bake the eggplant slices as regular and assemble them within the casserole dish from backside to high. Cowl the dish and refrigerate for as much as 1 day or freeze for as much as 1 month. Bake it contemporary whenever you’re prepared (including an additional couple of minutes to the bake time for the frozen eggplant).
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Possibility: Simply use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs to make gluten-free eggplant parmesan.
- Vegan Cheese Substitute: Should you’d moderately persist with complete meals elements, swap the vegan parmesan within the breadcrumb combination for 3 to 4 tablespoons of dietary yeast. You can even attempt swapping the mozzarella for a do-it-yourself cashew-based cheese sauce, like this Rosemary Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce, for layering.
- Eggplant Substitute: If eggplant isn’t your factor, use sliced zucchini, portobello mushroom caps, or cauliflower steaks as a alternative. Simply understand that the baking instances will differ.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe will serve between 6 and eight folks. I like to recommend laying the sliced eggplant within the baking dish earlier than cooking to provide you a good suggestion of how a lot you’ll find yourself with ultimately.
To fry the breaded eggplant slices, place them in a skillet with a shallow layer of sizzling oil till they’re golden and crisp on each side. Drain them nicely on paper towels earlier than layering them into the casserole dish.
This seemingly occurred as a result of the eggplant wasn’t correctly salted and drained earlier than baking. Utilizing an excessive amount of sauce or layering the elements whereas the eggplant remains to be sizzling from the oven also can end in extra moisture.
Take pleasure in! Should you make this recipe and determine to share it on Fb or Instagram, don’t neglect to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I might additionally adore it when you may go away a remark under with a recipe ranking! Thanks for the help 😊
For the Eggplant:
- 2 massive or 3 medium eggplants reduce into 1/4” slices
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 4-8 cups water divided; plus extra as wanted
- Spray oil or olive oil for drizzling
For the Casserole:
- 36 ounces marinara sauce
- 7 ounces cheese
- 1/2 cup contemporary chopped basil for garnish
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Prep: Preheat the oven to 400F (200°C). Grease a big baking sheet and put aside, then set a 9×13” casserole dish apart. Slice the eggplant into skinny slices; I like to put them out within the baking dish earlier than continuing with the recipe, so I can have a good suggestion of how issues will match and make meeting simpler in a while. For this recipe I made 6 stacks of three eggplant slices in my baking dish.
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Salt the Eggplant: Add the kosher salt and 4 cups of water to massive bowl or pot (I discover utilizing a pot with tall sides is best). Whisk the salt into the water till it has utterly dissolved, then add your sliced eggplant to the water. Cowl with an extra 4 cups of water, including extra as essential. The eggplant will float to the highest, so I wish to weigh it down with a smaller pot lid or heavy plate so it’s utterly submerged. Let soak for 10 minutes (Observe: I make my batter & breadcrumbs throughout this time).
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Make the Batter: Within the meantime whisk the oil, soy milk, cornstarch, and salt collectively in a small bowl; put aside.
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Make the Breadcrumbs: Add the panko breadcrumbs to a medium bowl with a large base. Add the dairy-free parmesan, oregano, thyme, chili flakes, paprika, salt, and black pepper to the bowl and blend nicely. Take half of the breadcrumb combination out of the bowl and put aside; this can assist stop the breadcrumbs from getting soggy in a while.
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Pat Dry: Drain the eggplant and switch it to a clear kitchen towel. Pat dry.
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Batter: Use your left hand to dip each side of 1 eggplant slice into the moist batter. Shake any extra batter off, then switch to the breadcrumb bowl. Use your proper hand or a spoon to unfold breadcrumbs excessive of the eggplant and calmly press down. Shake off any extra crumbs, then switch to the ready baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices, including the second half of the breadcrumb combination to the bowl as soon as you’re virtually out of the primary half.
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Roast the Eggplant: Generously spray the eggplant sliced with cooking oil, or drizzle with olive oil. Bake on the highest rack of the oven for 20 minutes, till the breadcrumbs are golden. Take away from the oven and improve the oven temperature to 415F.
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Layer the Casserole: Use a spatula to unfold 1 cup of marinara sauce throughout the underside of your baking dish, then add 1 layer of the baked eggplant sliced. Dollop 3/4 cup of marinara over the eggplant slices and unfold evenly, then sprinkle with roughly 1/3 of the cheese (or half, if you’re solely doing 2 layers). Repeat this course of with the second layer of eggplant. Repeat for the highest layer of eggplant, then dollop 1 cup of sauce over the eggplant and high with the remaining cheese.
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Bake: Bake within the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes, till the sauce is bubbly and the cheese has melted.
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Serve & Retailer: Sprinkle the casserole with contemporary basil and serve instantly. Retailer any leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Leftovers are greatest reheated within the oven or toaster oven for a crispier eggplant parmesan, however you can even use the microwave when you don’t thoughts it being a bit softer.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this recipe gluten-free.
