Eggplant Parm

Hiya everyone! It's officially Thursday and I am officially off the clock for 5 whole days - can I get a woohoo?! I am desperately in need of a mini-vacay, so I am leaving Derek and the poochies at home and heading to see the fam for Memorial Day Weekend.



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Today, I am busy with packing and errands and hopefully lunch with my hubby if the timing works out, so I'm going to get right to it and share what I promised. Eggplant Parmesan. Do you love it? Ever had eggplant before? This is a great way to introduce eggplant to your palate -- d'uh doesn't everything taste fabulous when smothered in marinara and cheese? I'd have to say heck yeah!

Eggplant Parmesan

Recipe inspired by Clean Green Simple
Serves 3

1 pkg spaghetti (I used brown rice pasta)

2 - 3 c. favourite marinara sauce (canned or homemande)

1 eggplant

1 c. almond milk (or milk of your choice)

1/4 c. brown rice flour (or other flour of your choice)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Italian seasoning

2 c. breadcrumbs

1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Peel and cut your eggplant into slices.

Place on a cookie sheet or cutting board and sprinkle liberally with salt on both sides. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the eggplant to 'sweat' out some of its moisture. Once 30 minutes has passed, rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry using a piece of paper towel.

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

You will need 2 shallow dishes (I used pie plates)  for dipping your eggplant. In the first, dump in your breadcrumbs. In the second, combine the milk, flour, apple cider vinegar, salt and Italian seasoning. Mix well. 

Dip the eggplant slices into the batter mixture followed by the bread crumbs and then place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 6 - 8 minutes per side until the breadcrumbs become a golden brown.

Once the eggplant is baked, top with 2 - 3 tbsp of marinara sauce and some of the shredded cheese. Return to the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt. 

While the eggplant is baking, prepare your noodles according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add your marinara sauce and cover with a lid. I find that this heats the marinara enough, but you could heat it up by returning the pot to the stovetop on low. 

Serve the pasta onto oven safe plates. Top with the eggplant cutlets. If you want to add more shredded cheese, do so at this time and place the plates in the oven for just a few seconds to allow the cheese to melt.

I topped mine with a pinch of Italian seasoning. Other optional toppings might be parmesan cheese, fresh ground pepper or red pepper flakes.

Serve and enjoy!

This takes a few steps to put together, but it is delicious! I liked this because I was able to make eggplant parm for myself and using the exact same directions, I made chicken parm for Derek. The only difference was that the chicken took a little longer to bake.

Now, without further ado, I must bid you farewell. I have lots of packing to do!! Next time we chat, hopefully I'll be sitting on the deck with my parents in Kentucky! I promise to take lots of pics and share all my great eats!!

Have a wonderful day,

What are your fave snacks to take while travelling?
What vegan cheese do you love the most?

Andrea