Have you tried caponata? If not, let us introduce you! It’s a delicious Sicilian eggplant dish with sweet and savory flavor, and we ADORE it! While commonly served as an appetizer or side, it’s worthy of being a main when a little protein and fiber are…
Have you tried caponata? If not, let us introduce you! It’s a delicious Sicilian eggplant dish with sweet and savory flavor, and we ADORE it! While commonly served as an appetizer or side, it’s worthy of being a main when a little protein and fiber are added in. Introducing: white bean eggplant caponata!
Made in 1 pan with just 10 ingredients, this is an effortless, plant-based entrée that pairs well with pasta, polenta, bread, or even mashed potatoes.
If you have been craving falafel but cannot decide which of the many possible sides to enjoy it with, this falafel bowl is a perfect choice! It combines five delicious Mediterranean recipes to create a filling meal you can easily make in advance and th…
If you have been craving falafel but cannot decide which of the many possible sides to enjoy it with, this falafel bowl is a perfect choice! It combines five delicious Mediterranean recipes to create a filling meal you can easily make in advance and throw together for a quick lunch or dinner. The best part...
This easy Mediterranean eggplant recipe is exactly what you need to liven up your lunch or dinner! This dish is perfect for an appetizer, side dish, or main dish, featuring tender grilled eggplant drizzled in a flavorful marinade sauce made with variou…
This easy Mediterranean eggplant recipe is exactly what you need to liven up your lunch or dinner! This dish is perfect for an appetizer, side dish, or main dish, featuring tender grilled eggplant drizzled in a flavorful marinade sauce made with various fresh herbs and spices. For more vegan Mediterranean-inspired dishes you can count on...
This vegan eggplant Parmesan is dairy free but delivers on flavor, starring crispy breaded eggplant slices smothered in a tangy marinara sauce! A plant-based dinner win.
Eggplant Parmesan is one of the world’s best meatless comfort foods: so why not try a dairy-free rendition? Try this vegan Eggplant Parmesan, with all the flavor of the real deal but totally plant-based! Tended eggplant slices are dipped and breaded, then baked until crispy and smothered in a tangy marinara sauce. Top with dairy-free cheese to make a stunning vegan dinner everyone will love!
Ingredients in vegan eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant Parmesan (aka eggplant Parmigiana) is a classic Italian dish made with layers of breaded eggplant, cheese, and tomato sauce. It’s known as parmigiana di melanzane in Italian, and comes from the Southern regions of Calabria and Sicily. To make vegan eggplant Parmesan, you’ll need to replace eggs, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese to vegan versions. Here’s what you’ll need for vegan eggplant Parmesan:
Eggplant
All-purpose flour
Oat milk
Cornstarch
Vegan Parmesan cheese
Plain panko
Oregano
Kosher salt
Fire roasted crushed tomatoes
Garlic cloves
Fresh basil
Olive oil
Vegan shredded mozzarella cheese
Vegan cheese brands vs homemade
For this vegan eggplant Parmesan recipe, we used purchased Violife vegan Parmesan and Violife vegan shredded mozzarella cheese. Feel free to use dairy-free cheese alternatives you love!
You can also make homemade vegan cheese substitutes. This recipe would also work well with homemade vegan Parmesan. We have not tested it with homemade vegan mozzarella, but that would work as well. You can also substitute dollops of cashew cream for the vegan mozzarella if desired!
Notes on fire roasted tomatoes
Fire roasted tomatoes make the best flavor in this eggplant Parmesan. This type of canned tomatoes tastes sweet and smoky right out of the can. If you can’t find them, substitute best quality tomatoes with 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Or, use 1 ½ cups best quality marinara sauce.
Tips for making vegan Eggplant Parmesan
This vegan Eggplant Parmesan recipe is baked, not fried. It takes about 1 hour to make and bake, so keep this in mind in your meal prepping (and review the notes below on make ahead tips). Here are a few notes to keep in mind about the process:
Look for medium eggplants. Size matters here: massive eggplant rounds don’t look quite as nice in the dish because the rounds are so large. The key is using 2 pounds of eggplant, and you’ll get about 18 to 20 sliced rounds.
Place salt on the eggplant for just 10 minutes. Many recipes require you to salt the eggplant for 1 hour, but this is not necessary. In the past, people would do this to remove a bitter flavor, but today’s eggplants are bred to be less bitter. Salting also allows the eggplant to release moisture, but that’s not as important with this baked method as with frying!
Dredge the eggplant in flour, oat milk with cornstarch, and breadcrumbs. Oat milk with cornstarch replaces the eggs that are in standard eggplant Parmesan.
Bake the eggplant for 20 minutes at 425°F, flipping once. The hot oven makes them crispy and golden brown: like frying but with no extra oil!
Then layer the eggplant with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese in a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.
Leftover storage and make ahead tips
This vegan Eggplant Parmesan takes about 1 hour to make, making it difficult to whip up for a quick weeknight dinner. Make it when you have plenty of time, like on a weekend or day off. There are also a few things you can do in advance. Here are a few ideas for make ahead and storage:
Bake the eggplant slices in advance. This saves about 40 minutes off the timing of the recipe. Refrigerate the slices, then layer the dish and bake the day of making.
Leftovers store refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can make the entire dish in advance and refrigerate, but it’s so good freshly baked that we recommend the above option for make-ahead. Leftovers store well.
You can also freeze leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Place on the counter or in the refrigerator to thaw, or you can place it right into a 375 degree oven and reheat until warmed through and the cheese is melted. (If it’s room temperature, you can reheat at a higher temperature, like 425°F.)
More vegan recipes
Vegan Eggplant Parmesan is one of our favorite vegan dinner ideas! Here are few more vegan recipes to put in your arsenal:
1 handful fresh basil, chopped, plus more to garnish
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) purchased vegan shredded mozzarella cheese*
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut off the ends of the eggplant and cut it into 1/2-inch slices (to make approximately 18 slices). Sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon salt divided between the slices, and allow them to sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the breading ingredients. (Don’t wipe off any salt or extra moisture.)
Place the flour on a plate. Whisk the oat milk and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and set it aside. In another shallow bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, panko, 2 teaspoons oregano, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and set it aside.
Dip both sides of each eggplant slice into the flour, then the oat milk mixture, then the Parmesan cheese mixture. Place each slice onto the prepared baking sheets. (Note: This gets messy; you may need to wash or wipe your fingers off after every few slices.) Discard any leftover breading ingredients.
Place the trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then flip the eggplant and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until tender and golden brown.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium bowl, mix the fire roasted tomatoes, grated garlic, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, chopped fresh basil, and olive oil. Mix well until all the olive oil is incorporated.
Remove the eggplant from the oven. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13″ pan. Add half the baked eggplant in a layer (about 9 slices), then top with 1 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup vegan shredded mozzarella cheese. Add the second layer of eggplant (we like to add them right on top of the first layer to make 9 stacks). Top with another 1 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup vegan shredded mozzarella on each stack. Top with the remaining 2 tablespoons grated vegan Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned (or more, depending on the cheese brand). Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then top with additional chopped basil and serve. Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days (or frozen for 3 months); reheat in the oven until warm.
Notes
*We used purchased Violife vegan Parmesan and Violife vegan shredded mozzarella. If desired, this would also work with homemade vegan Parmesan. We have not tested this recipe with homemade vegan mozzarella, but it should work other recipes. You can also substitute dollops of cashew cream for the vegan mozzarella if desired!
**Fire roasted tomatoes make the best flavor: they taste sweet and smoky right out of the can. If you can’t find them, substitute best quality tomatoes with 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Or, use 1 ½ cups best quality marinara sauce.
This eggplant lasagna recipe layers eggplant, homemade marinara, and a flavorful three-cheese filling! It’s a hearty dinner that pleases everyone.
Got eggplant and want to turn it into a meal? Try this Eggplant Lasagna, a tasty dinner recipe that swaps out the traditional noodles for roasted eggplant! This gooey pan holds layers of eggplant, homemade marinara, and a flavorful three-cheese filling. Lemon zest and nutmeg takes it to restaurant-style flavor. It’s a hearty gluten-free and meatless dinner idea that everyone will love! This one’s now in our regular rotation to stay.
Ingredients for eggplant lasagna
Eggplant lasagna is a gluten-free version of lasagna that swaps the noodles for roasted lasagna. It’s similar to a classic Eggplant Parmesan, but skips the breading breading on the eggplant. You’ll slice the eggplant into planks, then use that for layering with the marinara and three-cheese filling. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
Eggplant
Olive oil
Garlic
Butter
Crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce
Fresh thyme
Dried basil, dried tarragon, ground nutmeg, and kosher salt
Cornstarch
Lemon zest
Ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese
The tricks to eggplant lasagna
The biggest issue with lasagna recipes without noodles like eggplant lasagna is that eggplant is 90% water. Raw eggplant would make the dish into a watery mess! So there are a few tricks to making eggplant lasagna with the perfect consistency:
Roast the eggplant. This cooks out a significant amount of the water, making for the perfect tender consistency. You’ll roast at 425°F for about 25 minutes total.
Thicken the tomato sauce with cornstarch. This is another preventative measure! Adding a little cornstarch makes an even thicker tomato sauce with less water.
Let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes to set. Right out of the oven, there may be a little moisture. Let the lasagna sit and cool, which lets it absorb any remaining moisture.
A few flavor secrets
This eggplant lasagna tastes restaurant-quality with just a few special items to make the ingredients sing! We recommend making the recipe with each of these ingredients:
Ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese: Using three types of cheese brings a nuance in flavor. Use whole milk mozzarella if you can find it: it melts better than part-skim cheese.
Homemade tarragon tomato sauce: You could use store-bought marinara sauce in a pinch, but this tomato sauce is incredible! Substitute oregano if you don’t have dried tarragon.
Lemon zest and fresh thyme: These bring a zing and freshness that’s absolutely essential to the flavors.
Make ahead & leftover storage for eggplant lasagna
This eggplant lasagna recipe takes about 45 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes to bake, and 15 minutes to rest. So, it’s not a recipe for a quick weeknight meal! However, there are a few thing you can do to prep this recipe in advance.
Roast the eggplant in advance. One of the biggest time savers is roasting the noodles ahead of time. Roast and then refrigerate until the time of baking. They will accumulate moisture in the fridge, so pat them dry before assembling.
Make the tomato sauce in advance. It’s easy to let the tomato sauce simmer while you preheat the oven. But you can make it in advance too! Just refrigerate until serving: the flavor gets better over time.
Or, make the entire pan in advance! Leftovers store well; they can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in a 375°F oven.
More eggplant recipes
This eggplant lasagna is one of our favorite new ways to use eggplant! Here are a few other eggplant recipes to try:
Roast the eggplant: Slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch slices (at least 12 planks; don’t worry if they vary in size). Place the slices on two parchment-lined baking sheets and brush each side with them with olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided across the 2 trays. Roast for 10 minutes, then flip and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until tender and golden brown.
Prepare the sauce: Mince the garlic. Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat: once melted, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn down the heat and carefully add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, tarragon, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Remove ¼ cup of the sauce and stir it with the cornstarch, then add it back to the pan (this helps to thicken the sauce). Simmer while making the remainder of the recipe, at least 15 minutes. When ready to use, remove the pan from the heat.
Meanwhile, prepare the cheese filling: Destem the thyme, then roughly chop the leaves. Add 2 tablespoons thyme to a medium bowl and reserve about ½ tablespoon for topping the lasagna. To the bowl, add the lemon zest, ricotta cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, nutmeg, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine.
Turn down the oven: Turn down the heat to 375°F.
Assemble the lasagna: In a 9” x 9” baking dish or 7 x 11 baking dish (or similar volume dish), spread a ½ cup tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then top with 1 layer of the eggplant, half of the cheese mixture (in dollops) and about ½ cup of the tomato sauce, using a spatula to spread the sauce evenly over the cheese. Repeat again, topping with 1 layer of eggplant, the remaining cheese mixture, and ½ cup of the remaining tomato sauce. Finally, top with a final layer of eggplant, then another ½ cup tomato sauce. Sprinkle the entire top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and ½ tablespoon fresh thyme.
Bake the lasagna: Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes, uncovered. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving (this allows the lasagna to set; you can let it sit even longer if desired). Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in a 375°F oven.
Category:Main dish
Method:Baked
Cuisine:Italian inspired
Diet:Vegetarian
Keywords: Eggplant lasagna, Eggplant lasagna recipe, recipe for eggplant lasagna
Last year I told you that despite it being the opposite of eggplant season, I crave eggplant parmesan incessantly each winter. I mean, who doesn’t want an aromatic, cheese-stretchy, cozy casserole of ziti-like flavors, but without the he…
Last year I told you that despite it being the opposite of eggplant season, I crave eggplant parmesan incessantly each winter. I mean, who doesn’t want an aromatic, cheese-stretchy, cozy casserole of ziti-like flavors, but without the heaviness of the pasta sometimes, right? What this post omitted was my recipe, which was kind of rude. The truth is that I wasn’t completely comfortable sharing it recipe because it’s not a True eggplant parmesan, or so I believed. It’s not breaded, it’s not fried, and there’s definitely no ricotta. Even title of the recipe as it was saved on my computer was self-conscious: (Not Really) Eggplant Parmesan.
So what changed? Going to Italy this summer! We ordered eggplant parmesan (parmigiana di melanzane) almost every time we saw it on the menu and do you know what would come out? A dish that looked like this — no breading, no crumbs, no ricotta. It made more sense when I read about the history of the dish from Emiko Davies which I’ll simply link to rather than poorly summarize (it’s fascinating!) but it also gave me the nudge to finally spring the recipe from my kitchen to yours.
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