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
- 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.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- 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.
- 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.
- Warm 2 cups of tomato sauce on medium-heat in a pan, reduce for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened.
- Add cooked eggplant to the pan and mix around until fully covered.
- 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.
Looks delicious…I’m going to try it. Thanks!
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