Description
A delicious and crispy Vegan Eggplant Parmesan recipe featuring baked eggplant slices coated in a flavorful cornflake and cashew crumb, layered with marinara sauce and vegan mozzarella cheese. Perfect as a main dish or side, this plant-based comfort food is easy to prepare and packed with rich flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Mixture
- 4 cups cornflakes
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Wet Mixture
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
The Rest
- 2 pounds eggplant (2 large or 3 medium)
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 3 cups vegan mozzarella cheese shreds
- 1/2 cup vegan Parmesan (optional, shredded)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 2 large baking sheets with oil and set aside.
- Prepare dry coating: In a food processor or high powered blender, pulse cornflakes, cashews, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, and salt together until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Set aside.
- Prepare wet mixture: In a small bowl, whisk together soy milk and all purpose flour until smooth. Set aside.
- Slice eggplant: Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices. Peeling is optional.
- Coat eggplant: Dip each eggplant slice into the soy milk and flour mixture, then coat with the cornflake crumb mixture. Place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake eggplant: Bake the coated eggplant slices for 20 minutes. Flip each slice and bake for an additional 15 minutes until crispy and lightly browned.
- Assemble dish: Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Layer half of the baked eggplant slices over the sauce, slightly overlapping if needed. Top with half of the remaining marinara sauce and half of the vegan mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layers: Add the remaining eggplant slices, then spread the rest of the marinara sauce and top with remaining vegan mozzarella.
- Bake assembled casserole: Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the casserole is warmed through.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle vegan Parmesan cheese if using and chopped fresh basil over the top before serving. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- Use fresh, quality eggplant for the best flavor and texture.
- Serves 6-8 depending on whether served as a main dish or side; can serve more if paired with pasta.
- For a substitute to cornflakes, use panko breadcrumbs, although cornflake crumbs yield the best crispness.
- For gluten free, substitute gluten free all purpose flour.
- For nut free options, replace cashews with sunflower seeds.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 360 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
