Before you tell me you hate eggplant and cast off this recipe, hear me out:
I’m not a big eggplant fan either.
I think Eggplant is pretty spongy and bland. In fact, it’s probably one of my least favourite vegetables!
Poor ‘lil Eggplant, right? :\
I decided to give Eggplant another shot when I came across this stunning Eggplant Parmesan recipe from Jessica. I knew immediately that I had to try it for myself.
It just looked so darn good…
This recipe involves breading and baking eggplant slices until crispy. Think of a breaded chicken burger and that’s what the breaded crust reminds me of. It’s perfection.
Mind you, the eggplant itself tastes nothing like chicken and still has a bit of that strange eggplant texture, but I found myself enjoying it none the less!
The first thing you do is peel the eggplant and slice it into 8-10 pieces about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle each slice liberally with salt and let it stand for 30 minutes or so. The salt draws out the water and the slices will begin to “sweat”- it’s pretty cool! A fun science experiment in the kitchen.
While the eggplant is working up a sweat, you can also get busy making your batter. I followed Jessica’s batter recipe fairly closely, only I used Whole Wheat Pastry Flour instead of Brown rice flour. If you want it gluten-free use a gluten-free flour and GF breadcrumbs. It takes just a couple minutes to mix together. I’ll also tell you what I would change below.
After 30 minutes, run cold water over the slices to wash off the water and salt and then pat dry with a towel.
Dip each slice into the batter and then dip it into your breadcrumbs on both sides. The more breadcrumbs the better.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8-9 mins at 450F on each side until very golden and crispy. The crispier you make them, the better they taste! I used Panko breadcrumbs and they worked great.
Jessica served her eggplant cutlets over pasta, but I decided to serve it over spinach greens for a lighter option as I wasn’t feeling pasta after all the lasagna we’ve been eating. I topped it with heated pasta sauce and my homemade 5-minute low-fat cheeze sauce!
It really is a stunning dish. :)
My tips:
- I really, really love the breaded crust. A++. I am already thinking about what else I could use this crispy batter on! Crispy veggie burgers? Sweet potato chips? Zucchini fries? Tofu?
- The eggplant itself still has a bit of a spongy texture, but it wasn’t that bad. The awesome texture of the crust really made the eggplant texture less noticeable. If you slice the eggplant thin it’s even less noticeable. It reminded me of a breaded chicken burger, although didn’t taste like one of course.
- Next time I would definitely add more seasonings as the patties could use a bit more flavour, but with the pasta sauce and cheeze sauce it wasn’t a big issue at all. Next time I would just amp up the seasonings a bit more.
- I haven’t tested this on Eric yet, but I will update this post when he tries it. He absolutely hates eggplant’s texture, so that will be interesting!
- I cut the eggplant into rounds, but realized Jessica sliced hers vertically. Vertically probably makes mere sense because you don’t end up with tiny rounds when you get to the end. It’s totally up to you though.
- The cutlets get soft in the fridge so they must be reheated in the oven. The cutlets do not reheat well in the microwave, trust me I tried! To reheat: I baked them at 450F for 5 minutes on each side and they re-heated wonderfully and got really crisp.
- I haven’t tried it yet, but I suspect these cutlets would be awesome in a sandwich or wrap! I’m definitely trying that this week.
Eggplant Parmesan
A great way to make eggplant the feature of a fancy looking meal. This dish just tastes so healthy and light!
Lightly adapted from Jessica.
Yield: 8 servings
- One large eggplant, peeled and sliced vertically into 8 cutlets
- 1 c. unsweetened/unflavoured almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or other flour of choice)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano*
- 1/4 tsp dried parsley*
- 1/4 tsp dried basil*
- 2 cups breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
- Pasta sauce of your choice
- Low-fat 5 minute cheeze sauce (makes 2/3 cup) or Daiya cheese (bake in oven if using Daiya to melt it)
- Cooked spaghetti or greens, for the base
1. Peel and slice eggplant into 8-10 pieces. Sprinkle each slice liberally with salt (maybe about 1/4-1/2 tsp on each?) and spread it around with fingers. Let it stand for 30 minutes while the salt draws out the water.
2. Meanwhile, make your batter by whisking the milk, flour, vinegar, salt, pepper, and seasonings together in a medium sized bowl.
3. After 30 mins, preheat oven to 450F and rinse eggplant with water and pat dry with a towel. Dip each piece into the batter and then into the breadcrumbs on each side. Place on a lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 8-9 mins at 450F and then flip and bake for another 8-9 minutes watching closely at the end. You want them very crispy and golden! Top with heated pasta sauce and homemade cheeze sauce and serve over a bed of cooked pasta or fresh greens.
5. To reheat: Bake for 5 mins on each side at 450F. They do NOT reheat well in the microwave. Note that cutlets will get soft in the fridge so reheating in the oven is essential to crisp them up again.
Note: Next time I will amp up the seasonings a bit more or try using fresh herbs too.
Take home message:
If you are an eggplant fan I would guess you will LOVE this recipe.
If you aren’t an eggplant fan, I’d say there’s a chance you could really enjoy it or really hate it. Make at your own risk!
As for me, I will probably make this again and experiment more with the flavours and seasonings. I can already see myself making a curry flavour cutlet with a delicious Indian dish! I’m going to try this in a sandwich for lunch with some pasta sauce and cheeze. It should be good.
It’s update time!
The winner of my 3-year blogiversary giveaway is #724- Megan… Congrats Megan! I have emailed you to collect your apron wishes and addy. Thanks to everyone for all your kind words on my 3 year blogiversary.
I found out on the weekend that I won “Best Overall Blog” and “Best Veg Blog” in the Foodbuzz Blog Awards! Thank you so much for your votes. It’s thrilling to me that a vegan blog could receive such praise within the food community which is usually dominated by so many animal-based foods. Your support means more to me than you know!!
That’s crazy you dislike eggplant – I absolutely love it! I have actually never tried making eggplant parmesan, but this recipe sounds nice and not greasy. I may try it with my next eggplant purchase.
Also, the eggplant peanut soup from Veganomicon is ahhhmazing. I have a feeling it will convince even the most stalwart eggplant hater.
Oh man I need to get that cookbook!
The only way to get rid of the spongy texture of eggplant for baking is to remove the air from inside…. it’s best done by sweating the veggie in the microwave. You slice the eggplant, salt and lay the slices on plate covered in a paper towel, then cover the tops of the eggplant slices with another paper towel. Find something heavy, I use four additional plates and stack them on top to weigh the eggplant down, and push the air out as they “cook” in the microwave. Typically you run on high power for 5-10min, they are done when they’ve become more flexible and reduced in depth. Then you can cook them like you would in any recipe and they will take on a very different overall texture, soft, dense, and flavorful…. not at all spongy. :)
Oh wow that’s such a cool tip! Thanks :)
That sounds INCREDIBLE!!!!!!! Me need to get me an eggplant!
Congratulations on your awards! You truly deserve them :)
Ok, I log onto your blog and see EGGPLANT PARMESEAN and my mouth hits the floor! I was like am I on the right blog?? yummm LOVE IT! have not HAD it since I went veg. Italian food is so awesome but we vegs miss out because of all the ooey gooey cheese. There is this one Italian place near my school that has an awesome vegan menu that’s just as big as their regular menu, tho. Thanks for putting eggplant back on my shopping list. Congratz on the best overall blog and best veg blog award! Many of your recipes make regular appearances in my kitchen. Thank you for contributing to my health.
Thank you Tonya! I hope it lives up to your expectations :)
Congratulations on the awards!! You definitely deserve them. :)
Mmmmm….I’ve made this recipe before and I LOVE it! I’m not usually a huge eggplant fan either but everything is better with a little sauce and cheese!!!
yes i totally agree :)
Congratulations on your awards! They are well deserved. I love your blog and your recipes are always top-notch. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Mary!
I love eggplant parmesan, and have been looking for a healthy recipe! Thanks for sharing! I hope your week is off to a great start!
I actually love eggplant, but I hate making it myself because it never comes out as crispy and delicious as it does in restaurants. Of course, when you order out though, they’re undoubtedly coated in eggy dips or smothered in cheese…major bummer :( I’ll give this one a whirl – you said crunchy coating, im so in!
That’s what I loved about this recipe…it was CRISPY. The key is baking it at a high temp (450F) and about 9 mins per side. I’ve never had “real” eggplant parmesan before but I thought this version was great.
This has got to be the BEST Eggplant Dish I have ever seen. It looks heavy but light at the same time, do you know what I mean? I will for sure be trying this out.
CONGRATS again!!~ but honestly…(duh!) you and your blog are amazing!
:)
Yes I know what you mean…I would agree! It’s “fancy” feeling without the heaviness to it.
Thank you for the comment on my blog Angela! I have been following yours for a long time now, big fan of yours over here in England so I’m very flattered to read what you wrote on my blog :) Look forward to hearing what Eric thinks of this recipe! I love Eggplant- call it Aubergeine over here though :P ps, you’re gorgeous yourself…xo http://hannahalehandra.blogspot.com/
This is not a dish I generally crave, but after seeing this version I can hardly stop thinking about it!
I was very excited to see that you won these awards! I voted for you! You definitely deserve them (though I also would’ve given you best photography blog).
This is a gorgeous and impressive looking dish. Just beautiful! I can’t wait to see what Eric thinks of them.
Thanks Audrey!
I can’t wait to see what Eric thinks either…I’m thinking he’s not going to like the texture, but we’ll see!
This looks great! A local burger joint does a breaded portabello mushroom burger that I’d love to replicate. I’m inspired to try this method to see if I can make it work at home.
Oh that’s such a good idea for a Portabello burger! Let me know how it turns out :)
Congrats!
I really like eggplant (the texture doesn’t bother me), but my husband isn’t a big fan. I think the panko bread crumbs might be enough to disguise the texture though. I also appreciate the re-heating instructions. Probably wouldn’t make this for my husband’s lunches during the week since he’s reliant on a microwave (and soggy eggplant would not go over well), but I think this could be great for my lunches. More for me! :)
Congrats on your awards! It’s so, so nice to see a vegan blog win “best overall”. You rock!
Thank you!
Yea I wouldn’t say it’s a great “bring to lunch” meal unfortunately unless there is a toaster oven around :)
I have a million Eggplants in my garden time to get to work!!! Congrats on your win girl!
Thanks Bobbi!
I ALWAYS bake my eggplant! Its the only way it tastes good to me and when I do make it like that…I LOVE IT! I actually just made some today! SO GOOD!
Congrats on your awards !! :D
I do like eggplant, but my own Eric HATES eggplant. He literally takes it out of anything I make, including stews. These do look yummy though. I have to give it a try.