Description
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.
Ingredients
Scale
FOR THE EGGPLANT
- 1 medium/large eggplant (about 6–7 inches long)
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- Pinch each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
CASHEW-ALMOND PARMESAN
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
MARINARA SAUCE
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes (I like Eden Organic brand, which is sold in a glass jar)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 14-oz can, drained and rinsed)- optional
FOR SERVING
- 5 portions of pasta of choice
Instructions
- Prepare the eggplant: Cut the eggplant into 10-11 slices, each about 1/2 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.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Eggplant Parmesan in Oh She Glows Everyday by Angela Liddon.
If you have leftover eggplant parmesan, it is positively divine on a sandwich with some tofu ricotta, greens, and thick slices of tomato!!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Keywords: vegan eggplant parmesan, gluten-free eggplant parmesan