This vegetarian eggplant parmesan is easy to make and so delicious. It’s a lot like lasagna only made with healthy eggplant. You will LOVE it!
Ingredients
The Tomato Sauce
1tablespoonolive oil
1mediumyellow onion, diced
2mediumbell peppers, diced (any color)
1largecarrot, diced
2clovesgarlic, very finely minced
2tablespoonstomato paste
1teaspoonsea salt
½teaspoondried oregano
28ouncecan crushed tomatoes
2teaspoonshoney
The Eggplants
2cupspanko, or sub gluten-free breadcrumbs, if needed
1teaspoondried oregano
1teaspoonblack pepper
½teaspoonsea salt
½cupmilk
2largeglobe eggplants, cut into ¾-inch rounds (see notes)
3cupsgrated mozzarella cheese
½cupcrumbled feta cheese
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, carrot, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 6-8 minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 2 medium bell peppers, 1 large carrot, 2 cloves garlic
Add the tomato paste, sea salt, and oregano to the pot and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and the honey to the pot, reduce the heat, and let it simmer gently until the eggplants (from the next step) have finished roasting.
2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 2 teaspoons honey
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the eggplants. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the panko, oregano, black pepper, and sea salt. Pour the milk into another bowl.
2 cups panko, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ cup milk
Dip each eggplant round first into the milk and then into the panko. Place the panko-coated eggplant rounds onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake the eggplant in the oven for 20 minutes.
2 large globe eggplants
Spread a couple of small scoops of the tomato sauce in the bottom of an 11x9-inch baking dish. Lay half the eggplant rounds over the sauce and then cover with half of the remaining sauce and half of the feta and mozzarella cheese. Finish assembling the vegetarian eggplant parmesan with the remaining eggplant, sauce, and cheese. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until it is hot and bubbling.
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Remove the vegetarian eggplant parmesan from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
If globe eggplants are unavailable to you, you can use 3 long Asian eggplants instead. These are nice cut into long strips that resemble lasagna noodles.