Eggplant Parmesan – A Healthy Dairy Free Version
Ingredients
The eggplant:
2 medium sized eggplants
2 eggs
2 tablespoons dairy free milk
Whole wheat breadcrumbs – regular or panko about 1 1/2 cups
1 tsp olive oil
1 8 oz. package of plant-based mozzarella type shreds
2 tbsp plant-based grated parmesan
Salt
The sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp dried or 3 sprigs fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt, pepper
28 oz can crushed Italian tomatoes
Note: you may substitute a 24 oz. jar of low-sugar
store bought Marinara or Tomato Basil sauce if you do not want to make your own.
Making the Eggplant:
Slice the eggplants into slices ¼ inch thick. Discard the ends. Lay the slices onto paper towels and lightly salt them. Over them with another layer of paper towels and let them sit for at least a half an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Squeeze excess moisture from the eggplant and dust off any excess salt. Lay out two plates and a lightly oiled baking sheet (if you have oil spray you can just lightly spray the sheet- you are just trying to keep the eggplant from sticking). Break an egg on one plate and scramble it with one tablespoon of dairy free milk. Place about 3/4 cup of bread crumbs on the other plate. Bread the eggplant slices by dipping them fist in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumb. Knock off the excess at each dip – you only want to lightly bread it. Then place the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Repeat until you are done. You may need to use another egg, more milk, more breadcrumbs and another baking sheet. Bake the eggplant slices at 350 for 30-40 minutes until they are crispy and brown, flipping them over after 20 minutes.
Making the Sauce:
If you are making your own sauce, you should do so before breading the eggplant or while the eggplant is baking. Mince the garlic and chop the onion. Heat the oil on a medium flame in a sauce pan and add the garlic, onion, salt, pepper, basil, oregano and pepper flakes. Saute for 5-10 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato. Stir and reduce heat. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Some people believe that you should add a little sugar to tomato sauce to counter balance the acidity of the tomatoes. I do not believe it needs it. However, if you are one of those people or it you taste the sauce and it tastes too acidic, you may add ½ a teaspoon of stevia to cut the acidity. No sugar required.
Putting it together:
Once the eggplant is done, spoon some sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle Mozzarella shreds over it. You may at this point transfer the eggplant to a single baking dish and stack it in multiple layers, or keep it in one layer. Its up to you and depends on how crispy you like it or if you prefer that it get more mushy like a moussaka. (keep it one level for crispy, layer it for a mushier feel). Sprinkle parmesan over the top. You won’t need the entire 8 oz. package of the Mozzarella and you will likely have some sauce left over too. Place the eggplant parm back in the oven and bake at 350 for another 20 minutes or so until the cheese melts. (Remember that plant-based cheeses never quite melt as well as regular cheese so keep those expectations in check). Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!.