If you think this eggplant parmesan looks tasty, trust us– it’s a million times more delicious than it looks! Read on for the recipe of an easy vegan and gluten-free take on an Italian classic.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise
• 1 can of tomato sauce (try finding organic San Marzano tomato sauce without any additives)
• 1 cup of vegan parmesan (recipe from Minimalist Baker – http://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-vegan-parmesan-cheese/)
• 3 tablespoons of high-heat oil, like sesame, avocado or grapeseed
• Himalayan Sea Salt
• Salt and pepper to taste, I also like Herbamare

If you’re looking to make eggplant parm sandwiches, you will also need the following:

• Gluten-free buns
• Toppings of your choice. I added shredded carrot and parsley. It doesn’t need much, it’s so flavourful already.

DIRECTION

1. Take the sliced eggplant and sprinkle each side with salt. Lay out on a pan or drying rack if you have one. This makes the eggplant sweat and helps draw out the water/moisture so they aren’t soggy when they bake.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. Once the eggplant has sweated for about a half hour, or until you notice a lot of water collecting on the pan, rinse off the salt and pat dry.
4. In a small bowl add the oil, a pinch of salt or Herbamare and a sprinkle of pepper and drizzle or paint the mixture on both sides of the eggplant. Place in oven until it starts to brown (around 30-45 minutes) flipping half way through.
5. Warm 2 cups of tomato sauce on medium-heat in a pan, reduce for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened.
6. Add cooked eggplant to the pan and mix around until fully covered.
7. Top with vegan parmesan and eat on its own, or add additional toppings and put it in a sandwich to enjoy.

Hope you like this healthy version of a much loved dish of mine from childhood. I didn’t know how a dairy and gluten-free version of eggplant parm would turn out, but it didn’t disappoint on flavour.

If you would like to crust the eggplant, that’s an option, however I opted for no batter/crusting as I’ve had a hard time finding gluten-free bread crumbs that didn’t have weird filler ingredients.

What do you think of this version? If you give a try please let us know and share how it went, we’d love to know how you make the recipe your own.