Simple Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
This simple Vegan Eggplant Parmesan includes only 10 ingredients. This vegan recipe yields perfectly crispy, savory eggplant and is great as leftovers!
Eggplant Parmesan
Simple 10-ingredient vegan parmesan that yields perfectly crispy, savory eggplant that pairs perfectly with red sauce and pasta of your choice!
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Servings: 2
Calories: 748kcal
Ingredients
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 bread crumbs 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 sub 2 tsp fresh per 1 tsp dried
- 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 // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size 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 brown 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
- *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!
Your Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 748kcal | Carbohydrates: 141.4g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 9.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.6g | Sodium: 1900mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 20.9g
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