Vegan Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Vegan Baked Eggplant Parmesan, a twist on traditional baked eggplant parmesan with crispy breaded eggplant slices baked with tomato sauce, nutritional yeast, and a sprinkling of vegan mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggplants
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 generous pinch salt divided
- 2 tablespoons flax seed meal
- ¼ cup hot water
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened plant-based milk
- ½ cup nuts or seeds
- 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs plain
- 1 tablespoon dried herbs oregano, thyme, basil, etc.
- ½ cup nutritional yeast divided
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- ½ cup vegan mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Bake eggplant slices: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Slice eggplant by cutting off the top part with the stem, and then slicing the eggplant either longways or into rounds (photos in this recipe show longways). Then add the slices to a baking sheet, drizzle with half the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the slices begin to dry out and begin to brown, about 15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Keep the oven heated for baking the final bake (step 4).
- Make breading ingredients: In a small bowl, add ground flax seed meal and hot water and let sit for 5 minutes until the flax seed meal thickens. Then add the flax seed and water mixture to a large bowl with plant-based milk and whisk to combine. To a food processor, add the nuts or seeds, breadcrumbs, dried herbs, and a generous pinch of salt and chop until well combined. Spread the bread crumb mixture on a plate.
- Fry breaded eggplant: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the eggplant is done baking, add each slice to the bowl with the flax and milk mixture to coat. Then immediately add it to the bread crumb mixture to coat both sides, then place in the oiled skillet and cook until the breading is browned, about 3-4 minutes each side. Then remove to a plate.
- Add ingredients to baking dish: Once the eggplant slices have been breaded, add small amount of the tomato sauce to the bottom of a glass or ceramic baking dishes. Then add a single layer of breaded eggplant, and sprinkling with nutritional yeast and vegan cheese. Keep adding layers of tomato sauce, eggplant, nutritional yeast, and vegan cheese until all of the breaded eggplant has been used in the dish (this should be about 3 layers).
- Bake eggplant parmesan: Place the baking dish into the oven and bake 35 minutes, or until the tomato sauce is bubbling (but not watery) and the vegan cheese is melted. When finished, remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
Notes
- Prep ahead: Prep the eggplant ahead of time by baking and breading it (steps 1-3) up to two days ahead of time, then assemble the ingredients before the final bake.
- Leftovers and storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat in pan or in the microwave.
- Freezing instructions: To freeze, cut the eggplant parmesan into squares and bake in an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag. To thaw, simply remove it to the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and then reheat in the oven or on the stovetop.
- Nutrition notes: This recipe is vegan and is a good source of fiber, potassium, and other nutrients. To make it gluten free, use gluten free bread crumbs. To make it nut free, use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds in the breadcrumb mixture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 299kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 10gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 585mgPotassium: 896mgFiber: 11gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 433IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 157mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!