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!!
Now I know what I’m making for my hubby this weekend! He’s not quite a vegetarian but I think the eggplant is a meat replacer for sure and he won’t even miss it! Looks delicious. I should try it on my dad too-he claims to hate eggplant…bet he’d like this one though!!
Congrats on your awards- how awesome!!
And I had to gasp at your post- I LOVE EGGPLANT! My husband used to always say he didn’t like it, but then I grilled it for him and he changed his tune.
I really do love it grilled…I don’t make it often though. I wonder if I could grill it on my waffle iron??? lol
Can you make a gluten-free version please???!!!??? All my attempts at making eggplant parm gf style have failed miserably …. Angela to the rescue?? (hint hint ;) )
Jessica said in her recipe that you can use brown rice flour and GF breadcrumbs to make it gluten free.
I simply can not wait to try this dish out and I’m even more excited about giving it to my boyfriend and kiddo and seeing how they like it. Last night, we watched the new Forks Over Knives movie and it had all three of us saying it’s worth trying. Your recipes will be a main part of the changes we will be making because every single one I’ve tried has been a hit so far. They especially loved the Pumpkin Cheese Sauce!
Thanks for sharing! I hope to try this on Saturday night.
This is PERFECT timing — just bought an eggplant and was thinking of making E. Parmesan! Thanks to you AND to Jessica!
:D
Love your blog.. you write so sincerely and openly!
I love eggplant and make something similar.. just as a suggestion for the coating which I’ve found to work well.. you could use a dry mixture of crushed croutons/flour/crushed pretzels (or a combination thereof) + spices (garlic powder, basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, onion flakes) and it comes out really well-seasoned!
:-)
Thank you :) That mixture sounds awesome!
i just rekindled my relationship with eggplant in a roasted eggplant and chickpea salad. i think the problem is that poorly prepared eggplant is pretty much inedible, but properly roasted with olive oil + salt (or baked into this eggplant parmesan)… i think it’s delicious!
Amazing photos…I love the recipe too!
I was so excited to see your blog win. Congratulations!
I have tried eggplant once before and the texture was super weird, but this looks delicious! I’ll have to try it.
Thanks!
How cool! I am not the biggest fan of eggplant…but I am soo willing to try this :)
And that’s what I love about eggplant- that spongey weird texture! I usually just cube it up and throw it in a stir fry towards them end so it doesnt get toooo soggy. But I find it picks up and holds flavors so well.
Angela this recipe looks awesome. I can’t imagine a world without eggplant! I love it. It was always a staple veg in my family. I use it in Indian, Middle
Eastern, Italian and even Japanese! My husband who normally turns his nose up will now eat it happily! Cant wait to try this version.
Yummy!! I lovelovelove Eggplant Parmesan but it’s been a few years since I’ve made it. Thanks for the reminder :D
I love eggplant parm but never make it. I have no excuse now.
I was so very proud and happy for you on Friday when you won. You deserve EVERY accolade you get! Congratulations.
Thanks Sarah! Congrats to you as well. You are always an inspiration to me! Go, vegan food. :)
Wow this looks super! I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you, thank you for this recipe! I keep getting eggplants from my CSA and I don’t know what to do with them! My mother-in-law practically soaks the things in oil and fries them and they are gross that way. This looks great!
Dude, congratulations on the Foodbuzz awards! As if they could have awarded to anyone else :) Your blog rocks and I enjoy reading it each and every day. I’m so excited about this Eggplant Parm recipe. I really abhor the traditional way of making it because it’s always so greasy and gross. I have a feeling your’s will be exactly the way I’ve always hoped it would taste. I can’t wait to try it out, especially with your cheeze sauce. Yum yum!
Have a great Tuesday!
Thank you that means a lot to me. I hope this lives up to the dream! ;)
I love eggplant so I’m excited to try your recipe. But I also have to give you props for not only eating a food you don’t love, but for working on a recipe and posting about a food you don’t love. Now that is open-mindedness!
I used to think that eggplant was mostly just beneficial for its bulk, but here’s more on the nutrients:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/19046-nutritional-benefits-eggplant/