Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

Name: Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients: 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; 8 ounces pasta (such as linguini, but any kind will do, including veggie noodles or gluten-free); 2 cups marinara sauce

Nicholas Silva @cook_17427623

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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
8 ounces pasta (such as linguini, but any kind will do, including veggie noodles or gluten-free)
2 cups marinara sauce

Cooking Instructions

1

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.
2

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.
3

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.
4

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.
5

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.
6

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 browned) and then return to oven to continue crisping. Do this in batches until all rounds are browned.
7

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.
8

Once done cooking, drain pasta and cover with a towel to keep warm. Set aside.
9

To serve: Plate pasta and eggplant slices and marinara in a dish as a dipping sauce. Additional vegan parmesan cheese makes an excellent topper.
10

Leftovers don’t really reheat well, so it’s best when fresh. See notes for additional tips on crispy eggplant!