Eggplant Parmesan has always been a favorite dish of mine. You can’t go wrong with the crispy breaded eggplant, the mouth-watering marinara sauce, and of course the creaminess of the cheese. After a few experiments this vegan recipe was born and I am so proud it! You get the same incredible flavor combination as the original without using any dairy products. I decided to make a cashew cream sauce packed with cheesy flavor.
This recipe is time-consuming but straightforward. It can be made with only a stovetop unlike most eggplant parmesan recipes that require baking. I don’t use oil in my cooking often but I use a bit in this recipe to get a nice crispy eggplant. I didn’t want to ruin that crispiness by covering it in sauce too soon, so to maintain maximum crispiness don’t put sauce on the eggplant until you are ready to serve.
This isn’t exactly the healthiest recipe I’ve made, but I think that comfort food is super important if you are going to stick with a plant-based diet long term. If you don’t want to use oil I suggest baking the eggplant instead. Let me know how it turns out. I would be experimenting with baking it too but I am without an oven at the moment. Vegan Eggplant Parmesan is sure to be a crowd pleaser. All of this flavor will impress anyone, vegan or not, so share this great meal with your friends and family.
This vegan edition of a classic Italian dish features crispy eggplant, marinara sauce, and a rich cheesy cashew cream sauce.
- 1 med eggplant
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight or soaked 2 hours in hot water)
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
- vegan parmesan cheese
To prepare the eggplant peel 4 vertical stripes down the body of the eggplant, or peel all skin if desired. Next cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place slices on a towel-lined cutting board and sprinkle with sea salt. Set aside 30 minutes. Then flip eggplant, sprinkle with sea salt again and leave for 30 more minutes. This will help remove the bitterness. If you are in a hurry you can speed up or skip this step but your result won't be as tasty.
In a shallow bowl mix together whole wheat flour and water. In another shallow bowl mix together breadcrumbs, oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
In a large skillet over med heat, add the olive oil and warm until shimmering. Dry a piece of eggplant on the towel, then dip in flour mixture, then into the breadcrumb mixture, then place in hot pan. Do this with all remaining eggplant pieces. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side, until crispy and golden. Remove from pan onto paper towel lined plate.
Bring a medium sized sauce pan filled with water to a boil. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions or until just tender. Drain.
In a high speed blender add cashews, nutritional yeast flakes, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, onion powder, and almond milk. Blend on high until everything is creamy and no cashew pieces remain.
Wipe out the skillet used for the eggplant. Add the marinara sauce to one side and the cashew cream to the other. Heat both until hot and bubbling. You can also do this in two separate skillets if desired.
To serve place some spaghetti noodles down first (you can also toss the noodles with some extra marinara sauce), then add some marinara sauce, then a layer of cashew sauce, then a slice of eggplant, more marinara sauce, more cashew sauce, more eggplant, and so on. Top with vegan parmesan and serve immediately. Enjoy.
I hope you enjoy this tasty recipe as much as I do! If you tried this at home leave me a comment. I would love to see pictures of your eggplant parmesan creations so put them on instagram #plateofplants. If you would like a fresh vegan recipe sent to your inbox each week please subscribe below. Thanks for reading!
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