Talk about comfort food! One of my favourite meals growing up was veal parmigiana and this timely vegan baked eggplant “parm” gives me all of that comforting saucy taste while saving time and money!
Saucy
Cheesy
Melt In Your Mouth
Less Fuss
And Less Mess!
Less Fuss & Less Mess
The veal parmesan I grew up eating as a kid always had breaded and fried slices of veal. When I started making this tasty eggplant bake as an alternative, I followed the same process of breading and frying…
Well! According to a few sources I’ve read, traditional Italian eggplant parmigiana is not breaded! Inside The Rustic Kitchen has an authentic recipe you can take a look at here. The slices of eggplant are dipped in flour and fried until golden.
I have made this recipe and followed the multiple steps of dipping in flour, then in an “egg mixture”, then in breadcrumbs, and then into the frying pan and although very tasty… it’s just a lot more cleanup!
My alternative…
- Bake the eggplant for 20 minutes to soften
- Make the cheesy sauce while the eggplant bakes
- Layer the tomato sauce
- Baked eggplant
- Sprinkle with breadcrumbs
- More tomato sauce
- Cheesy bechamel sauce
- Repeat the layers
- And bake for another 20 mins until heated through, golden, and bubbly!
No messy frying and extra oil! Just lay the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and salt, and let them bake while you make the cheesy bechamel on the stove-top.
Oh… and just sprinkle the breadcrumbs in! I still get that comforting breaded taste without all the mess!
And… why the bechamel? Well, here’s where the thrifty part comes in.
Tasty, Timely & Thrifty Vegan Baked Eggplant Parm
You betchya!
Without sacrificing all that comforting flavour I was used to with veal or chicken parmesan, this version offers great savings!
This recipe makes 6 servings and costs us: CAD $14.75! That’s about $2.46/serving. And… we save even more by using our homemade breadcrumbs!
If we were to make this recipe using 1 ½ pounds of veal, 2 eggs for the dipping, and 8 oz of shredded mozzarella... our cost would be:
- At least: CAD $18.06 using veal purchased at a wholesale store.
- And: CAD $28.31 using veal cutlets purchased at our local grocery store.
Alternatively, if we were to use 3 chicken breasts, sliced in half and weighing approximately 6 oz each… our cost would be:
- At least: CAD $17.72 using chicken purchased at a wholesale store.
- And up to: CAD $20.64 using chicken purchased at our local grocery store.
And the bechamel?
Costing us approximately CAD $3.51 this quick and easy bechamel is cheesy, creamy and oh so tasty!
Using 2 cups of shredded mozzarella would cost us roughly CAD $4.17. And since the goal is for the cheese to get all melty and gooey anyway… why not add a melty, gooey, cheesy sauce! It’s:
- Easy to make.
- It’s just butter, flour, and milk with onion, garlic, and nutritional yeast for the “cheesy” factor.
- It’s ready in 15 minutes.
- Whip it up while the eggplant bakes.
- And it’s thriftier!
Have I convinced you to give this tasty, thrifty, and timely vegan baked eggplant “parm” a try? Let us know in the comments below!
Print
Vegan Baked Eggplant “Parmesan” The TTT Way
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan baked eggplant “parm” with all the taste and less fuss! Skip the dipping, the breading and the extra mess for this tasty dish!
Ingredients
- 1– 1 ½ large eggplant (12 pieces)*
- 1 ½ tbsp oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 950 ml marinara sauce (or preferred tomato sauce)
- 2 cups breadcrumbs (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano + 1 tablespoon dried basil (or use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs)
- fresh basil or parsley to garnish*
For the Bechamel:
- ½ shallot or ¼ medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 tbsp white all-purpose flour
- 2 cups soy milk
- 2–3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
*Fresh ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Wash and slice off the stem and bottom ends of the eggplant (toss them in your veggie scrap bag for homemade broth!). There’s no need to peel the skin. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into ¼”-½” slices.
- Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer on two prepared baking sheets. Brush each side of the slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (I like to combine the oil, salt, and pepper in a small dish and use a pastry brush to brush the oil on each slice). Bake for about 20 minutes, flipping the pieces of eggplant and the pans halfway through.
- Meanwhile, prepare the bechamel on the stovetop.
- In a small pot, heat the butter over medium low heat until melted and just sizzling. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the flour 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking quickly to combine the flour with the butter. Once all the flour is added, let it cook for about a minute.
- Add the milk ¼ cup at a time, whisking quickly to prevent lumping. When all the milk is added, whisk in the nutritional yeast, nutmeg, and salt.
- Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until thick.
- To assemble: remove the eggplant from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9×11” baking dish with a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom. Then add a layer of eggplant. Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs over the eggplant. Spoon another layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of bechamel. Repeat with remaining eggplant, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, and the final layer should be bechamel.
- Bake for 20 minutes to warm all the layers through. It will be ready when the tomato sauce starts to bubble and the bechamel is lightly browned on top.
- Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve on a bed of noodles, with roasted vegetables, or as a loaded sandwich!
Notes
*Cost Comparison: CAD $14.75 ($2.46/serving) vs. CAD $18.06 – $28.31 for 1 ½ lb veal, 2 eggs, and 8 oz shredded mozzarella. OR: $17.72 – $20.64 for 18oz chicken breasts, 2 eggs, and 8 oz shredded mozzarella.
*Feel free to bread the eggplant if you’d like. Mix 1 ¼ cup chickpea flour with ½ cup plus 2 tablespoon water and stir until the consistency is close to a beaten egg. Dip the eggplant slices in the chickpea flour mixture, then breadcrumbs, and fry until golden on each side. Layer the slices as stated above with tomato sauce and bechamel. Bake the compiled dish for 25-35 minutes until the eggplant is soft and the sauce bubbles.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Alyssa
Just left a comment on the sandwich but my husband and I also made this over pasta for some of the smaller kids and they gobbled it up! My grandson even asked for seconds before dessert!!!
Kathryn Alexandre
Fantastic! I’m so glad to know they loved it and your grandson even held off dessert for seconds haha! We almost always have sandwiches for the first night when I make this and then we tend to have the leftovers on pasta and it’s just as delicious. Thank you again for both of your reviews today. It means so much to us to know that you are making the recipes and your family is enjoying them!