Loaded Eggplant Parmesan (Vegan)

As I sit here in bed, sick and achy, I am craving this dish big. time. It is a healthier version of the comforting, home style eggplant parmesan dishes I would get at family-style Italian restaurants as a kid…and left me craving more!

Serves 4

Before You Start

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish

Ingredients

  • One large eggplant

  • 4 tbs of ground flax

  • 1 tbs of cornstarch

  • 1 tsp of salt

  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning

  • 1, 12.5 oz container of firm tofu, crumbled

  • Drizzle of olive oil, for saucepan

  • 2 tbs of nutritional yeast

  • 1 tbs of lemon juice

  • 2 tsp minced garlic

  • 2 tsp of onion powder

  • 1/2 tsp of salt

  • Several large handfuls of spinach

  • 2 cups of marinara

  • Mozzarella cheese shreds (Vegan from Trader Joes)

  • 4 cups of penne pasta

  • 2 cups of marinara sauce, for pasta

  • Extra salt

Preparation

  1. Slice an eggplant into roughly 1/2-inch slices, halve the slices, and then place in a large bowl full of salty water. The water should taste like sea water. Allow to soak for at least 15 minutes.

  2. In a small bowl, mix together the flax, cornstarch, salt, and Italian seasoning.

  3. Lightly oil a sheet pan, dip the soaked eggplant into the flax mixture, and then lay flat on the pan. Repeat this for each each slice and bake for 15 minutes at 450.

  4. While the eggplant is baking, add a small amount of oil to a medium saucepan and heat on medium-high. Add the garlic, crumbled tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, and salt. Cook and occasionally stir for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the tofu has dried out considerably, but is still tender and not crispy.

  5. Remove the eggplant from the oven, and line the bottom of the baking dish with about half of the slices. Sprinkle on some Mozzarella cheese and pour slightly over half of the tofu on top. Add a layer of spinach, another layer of eggplant, and then pour marinara sauce over the top. Spread the sauce evenly and cover with Mozzarella cheese and the remaining tofu crumbles. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes at 450.

  6. While the dish is baking, boil the penne pasta in salty water and heat the remaining marinara sauce.

  7. Serve the eggplant on top of penne noodles and marinara. Enjoy!

Annalise

FoodsixgardenersEggplant Parmesan, Italian eggplant, italian casserole, vegan italian, vegan recipes, italian vegan, Comfort food, Homestyle italian, tomato sauce, penne, spinach, tofu, Mozzarella cheeseComment