Eggplant is one of those vegetables I would have never thought I'd ever like. It's name is literally EGGPLANT. The name truly does nothing great for the imagination. Despite the name, eggplant parmesan is actually a truly delicious and hearty dish. It's slices of breaded eggplant that sits in Italian herbs and tomato sauce and is topped with a little mozzarella (dairy free in this recipe). It's super easy to make and will surprise you how good it is.
Ingredients
Makes about 4 servings
- 1 eggplant
- 1/2 c oats
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3 tbsp cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- large pinch salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 24 oz jars marinara sauce
- mozzarella cheese (I used dairy free)
Directions:
- Set oven to 375 degrees and generously grease a large baking sheet with oil.
- Add oats to a blender and pulse until oats turn into flour.
- Add oat flour, cornmeal, nutritional yeast, baking powder, salt, black pepper, paprika, herbs, and onion powder to a shallow bowl and mix well.
- Beat an egg with 1 tbsp water in a separate bowl.
- Wash, then slice your eggplant horizontally into ~1/2 inch disks.
- Dip your eggplant slices into the egg, letting excess drip off, then dip into the flour mixture.
- Ensure both sides are thoroughly coated, shake to remove excess, then transfer to the baking sheet.
- Bake the first side for 20-25 minutes until the bottom is golden brown, then flip and bake the other side for an additional 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the eggplant from the oven, and increase the oven's temperature to 400 degrees.
- In a separate baking dish, add 2 c of the marinara sauce to the bottom and spread out evenly.
- Add one layer of the eggplant, layer on 1 c marinara sauce, a handful of mozzarella cheese, and repeat the layers until there is no more eggplant left. Finish the top layer with some additional nutritional yeast.
- Bake for an additional 15 minutes, until cheese is melted. You can broil for a few minutes if the cheese needs a little help melting.
So you may notice this eggplant parmesan doesn't have any parmesan, but you're welcome to add some if you'd like! The nutritional yeast acts as a substitute for the parmesan. This recipe is completely gluten free and dairy free! If you want, you can cook some pasta and place a generous serving of the eggplant parmesan on top. I hope you love this one-- enjoy! 🫶