This vegan eggplant parmesan is made with chickpea flour batter and cashew almond parmesan for an incredibly healthy and delicious twist on classic eggplant parmesan! It’s all served atop pasta and chickpea tomato sauce.

There are 34 million search results for “eggplant parmesan” on Google, and 11 million for “vegan eggplant parmesan.” I might as well add one more to the vegan eggplant parmesan collection with a simple inspired take on this traditional dish!

There are a great many versions of eggplant parmesan. Some call for the eggplant to be deep fried, while others employ the bread and bake method. The more traditional eggplant parmesan recipes require you to bread the eggplant, bake or deep fry it, and then layer it in a casserole dish with marinara sauce and plenty of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

I’ve chosen to employ a much simpler, though no less tasty, preparation! Instead of baking it and then layering it in a casserole, you’ll dip the eggplant in a chickpea flour-non-dairy milk mixture, dredge it it cashew-almond parmesan, and bake it on a cookie sheet. Then, instead of baking it again in a casserole dish with tomato sauce and cheese, you’ll prepare a homemade marinara sauce on the stovetop while the eggplant is in the oven. At the same time, cook some pasta. To serve, top the pasta with the marinara sauce, followed by two slices of the eggplant. And voila! Vegan eggplant parmesan that’s easy enough to make on a weeknight, but also fancy weekend dinner appropriate. 🙂

TO SALT OR NOT TO SALT, THAT IS THE QUESTION!

Many eggplant recipes ask you to salt the eggplant and let it sit for an hour to eliminate some of the water and bitter flavours in eggplant. When researching this recipe, I looked into whether or not that step is necessary. I hoped not, since who really wants to wait around for an hour before even preparing their eggplant parmesan? Pas moi. What I found was that salting eggplant is not strictly necessary, but it does result in a firmer, meatier finished product, since some of the liquid gets drawn out. Bottom line? If you have the time and patience, go for it: Generously sprinkle salt on both sides of the eggplant slices and set it on a plate or in a colander for an hour. Some water will be drawn out. Rinse the eggplant to remove the excess salt, and gently dab it with a kitchen towel to soak up as much water as possible. Then proceed with your recipe! I did not salt the eggplant when I developed this recipe, however, and it was still delicious.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

FOR THE EGGPLANT: A good-sized eggplant, non-dairy milk, chickpea flour, sea salt, black pepper, raw cashews, raw almonds, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder.
FOR THE MARINARA SAUCE: Extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, chili flakes, oregano, basil, bell pepper, tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and chickpeas. (The chickpeas are optional, but I had some on hand and added them for an extra protein boost!)
FOR SERVING: Pasta of choice!

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the eggplant: Cut the eggplant into 10-11 slices, each about ½ an inch thick. If you choose to salt the eggplant, sprinkle sea salt on both cut sides of the eggplant and arrange on a plate or in a colander. Set aside for an hour to allow liquid to drain. Rinse under gently running water and use a kitchen towel to absorb all of the moisture on the slices.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl large enough to dunk the eggplant slices into, whisk together the non-dairy milk, chickpea flour, sea salt, and pepper.
In a food processor, blend together the cashews, almonds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and sea salt until a coarse powder forms. Transfer into a dish or container large enough to dredge the eggplant slices in.
One at a time, dunk each eggplant slice in the chickpea flour batter. Allow excess batter to drip off before dredging both sides of each eggplant slice in the cashew almond parmesan.
Place eggplant slices on the prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch or two of space between each one.
Bake for 16-20 minutes, flipping halfway through to allow for even browning. They’re ready when the parmesan coating is lightly browned and the eggplant is tender.
Meanwhile, prepare the marinara sauce: Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes. Add ground black pepper to taste, chili flakes, oregano, basil, and bell pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer, then turn down heat to low , cover, and stir occasionally until ready to serve.
Cook pasta according to the directions on the package.
Serve up individual portions of pasta in bowls, then top with marinara sauce and eggplant.

ALLERGIES? WE’VE GOT OPTIONS!

Gluten-intolerant or celiac? Simply serve over gluten-free pasta (such as Go Go Quinoa spaghetti), brown rice, quinoa, or buckwheat.
Nut allergies? Make the parmesan with sunflower seeds instead of cashews and almonds, and use a nut-free non-dairy milk, such as soy or oat.

MORE HEALTHY + DELICIOUS PASTA RECIPES

I hope you have had a great week! I wish you all a weekend that nourishes your mind, body, and spirit. If you make this vegan eggplant parmesan recipe, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag me @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen!

Enjoy!!