Vegan Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Eggplant Parmesan is a classic Italian vegetarian dish, made with eggplant, marinara sauce, and plenty of cheeses. To transition this vegetarian dish into a completely vegan dish, that is void of all animal products, we looked to none other than vegan health coach and recipe developer, Miriam Hahn.

Hahn fills us in on which vegan products to use in this recipe. As many vegan cheeses are known to be a bit difficult to melt, Hahn notes that she likes using the "Vevan brand of mozzarella cheese. It melts better than most others." She also notes that she has "tried this with all types of non-dairy milks, but [her] favorite one to use is Ripple milk. It is made from pea protein and is fortified with vitamin B12 and calcium." Hahn also mentions that, as for non-dairy Parmesan, she likes Follow Your Heart brand the best, as it tastes closest to the real deal.

For this recipe you will need eggplant, non-dairy milk, salt, flour, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, vegan mozzarella cheese, vegan Parmesan cheese, marinara sauce, and basil.

Now we can get started! First, preheat the oven to 375 F. Prepare the eggplant by slicing them, width-wise,  into ½-inch slices. Place these slices on a large baking sheet that has been prepared with a dish towel or paper towels to absorb the excess moisture. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt on top of the eggplant slices and allow them to sit for 10 minutes. The salt will pull out the excess moisture from the eggplant.

In the meantime, prepare the batter. In a small bowl, add the milk and flour and whisk to combine. In another bowl, add the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and remaining salt. Whisk this mixture to combine. Use a paper towel to pat dry the eggplant. Then, dip each eggplant slice into the milk batter mixture before dipping it into the dry batter mixture. Once each slice has been completely covered with the batter, set them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven to bake the eggplant for 20 minutes. While the eggplant is baking and getting crisped up, we can prepare our layers. In a small bowl, add the mozzarella cheese and the parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Grab a large 9x13 inch baking dish and get ready to build our layers.

In a small bowl, add the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Now, grab a 9x13 inch baking dish, and in the bottom of it, spread ¼ cup of the marinara sauce. Once the 20 minutes are up, remove the eggplant from the oven. Add a layer of sliced cooked eggplant on top of the marinara sauce in the baking dish. Top with half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese mixture. Then add a layer of sauce, topped with the remaining eggplant slices, and a layer of cheese. Top this with a final layer of sauce and cover the baking dish with foil, then bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil. Add the final layer of cheese and bake for five more minutes. Remove from oven and top with optional sliced basil, then you're ready to serve and enjoy this vegan eggplant Parmesan!