Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (approx. 2 lbs), or 2 small eggplants
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (more for sprinkling)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs (or gluten-free bread crumbs)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all purpose flour)
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 6 tbsp olive oil , divided
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella shredded
- 3 cups Homemade Marinara Sauce (or your favourite store bought)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 450F/230C. On the upper and lower thirds of the oven, place two standard (18-by-13-inch) sheet pans in the oven to warm while you prepare the eggplant so that it’s hot enough when you’re ready to cook.
Cut eggplant into rounds, 1/2-inch thick. Lay onto cutting board and sprinkle lightly with salt on both sides. Set aside.
In a food processor (or blender) pulse the cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder and oregano until they resemble breadcrumbs, about 15 seconds. Add panko and pulse a few times to mix together. Pour the mixture onto a plate and set aside.
Make the eggplant breading assembly line: Start on the left side with the cutting board of all the salted slices of eggplant. Next in line, fill a shallow bowl with the flour, cornstarch and almond milk. Beat vigorously to mix together. Next in line, fill a shallow bowl with the Panko mixture plate. Finally, place a cutting board at the end for the breaded eggplant pieces.
To bread the eggplant: Dip each slice in the milk mixture to coat and then dredge it in the Panko mix, coating both sides completely. Rest the slice on the plate or cutting board. Repeat for all slices.
Moving quickly and carefully, take one sheet pan out of the oven and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, tilt the pan to cover entirely. Place the eggplant on the sheet pan in a single layer with 1/4 inch gap in between.
Repeat this step with the remaining eggplant on the second sheet.
Bake the eggplant slices until golden brown and tender.
In a baking dish, layer the baked eggplant with marinara sauce and vegan mozzarella cheese.
Bake again until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Garnish with chopped fresh basil before serving.
