Vegan eggplant parmesan

Eggplant parmesan was one of my favourite pre-vegan dishes. One that I’ve loved eating since I was a kid, and one of the first dishes I mastered as an adult cooking on my own for the first time. It was even my go-to meal when I was trying to impress a boy – and just so happened to be the first meal I ever cooked my husband while we were dating. So I guess it worked!

For my non-American friends, eggplant parmesan traditionally consists of breaded aubergine that is fried and then layered with mozzarella, tomato sauce and parmesan and baked in the over until bubbly and golden on top. It can be eaten on its own with salad and garlic bread (my fave) or even in a French bread roll as an eggplant parmesan sandwich (also very tasty).

To veganize my dish, I used an egg replacement to coat the aubergine (in this case a powdered formula from Sainsbury’s) and vegan cheese. I also used nooch (aka nutritional yeast) in lieu of parmesan. The result? A pretty damn fine eggplant parm without the harm.

Ingredients

• 2 medium/large aubergines
• 2 vegan eggs*
• 100g (1 cup) bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon mixed Italian herbs
• 2 cups pasta sauce
• Your favourite vegan cheese**

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 225c.
2. Slice the aubergine in half inch circles and sprinkle a good amount of salt on them to bring out the moisture / bitterness. Set aside for 20 minutes. Then rinse and dry the aubergine.
3. In one bowl, add the vegan egg. In another bowl combine the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast and Italian herbs.
4. Dip a slice of aubergine in the egg mixture, shaking off the excess, then in the breadcrumb mixture, coating completely. Place on a lined baking try and repeat with the rest of the sliced aubergine.
5. Bake the aubergine for 15 min, flip, then bake another 15 minutes until the slices are golden brown.
6. In a square baking dish put half a cup of sauce on the bottom, spreading it out evenly. Then add a layer of aubergine, topped with some more sauce and then your cheese of choice and another layer of sauce. Repeat until you use up all the ingredients. The final top layer should be a layer of cheese topped with sauce.
7. Bake for 25 min until the the top is bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with your choice of sides.
8. Enjoy!

*Use any vegan egg substitute you like – I use one you can buy from the grocery store, but you can also use FYH vegan egg or even flax eggs. 

**I like Violife original slices, but you can use any vegan cheese you like – just make sure it’s one that melts! 

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