Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

This is my absolute favourite pasta recipe...the combination of thick tomato sauce and crispy eggplant (or aubergine if you're from the UK) gets me every time.



Make sure the eggplant you use for this is ripe and petite; larger eggplants tend to get woody in the center and lose some of their flavour.  I find that if you buy smaller eggplants that are actually in season, there's no need for the whole 'salting and draining' step, because there's actually no bitterness.
Although the cooking of the eggplant takes a little while - unless you have a massive skillet like my Dad - the actual recipe is very simple.  Coating the eggplant in cashew butter before dipping it in breadcrumbs helps to keep the breadcrumbs in place, but also adds a nice nutty flavour and some decent protein to the meal.

Vegan Eggplant (Aubergine) Parmesan

Total time: 30 minutes

Serves: makes four dinner portions

Ingredients

3 small eggplants, cut into 1/4 inch rounds

For the cashew 'egg':

2 tbsp cashew butter

2 tbsp water

For the bread crumb mixture:

1 cup light brown flour

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Olive oil, to fry

You will also need:

Your favourite vegan parmesan (I used the Brazil nut recipe from Plant Powered Kitchen and it was fantastic!), your favourite pasta sauce (my go to recipe is here) and pasta to serve.

First, mix the flour, panko, and herbs together in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together the cashew butter and water until fully combined.  

Heat up a tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.  Dip the eggplant rounds into the cashew butter mixture, then into the breadcrumb mixture and then straight into the oil.  Fry until golden brown on both sides (about 5 minutes).  

Serve your eggplant with pasta, sauce, and vegan parm!