Eggplant Parmesan With Brown Rice Pasta

I’m Sitting at my kitchen counter contemplating what I should make for dinner. I rummage through the fridge. I find an eggplant I needed to use up along with some mushrooms and vegan parmesan.  I set them out on the counter and rummage through the pantry. I find pasta sauce and some brown rice spaghetti.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to make eggplant parmesan. I made chicken parm a lot when I was eating meat but since going plant-based I’ve not tried to accomplish that feat. How would it taste? How will it turn out? Will it taste good?

Well, I am here to tell you this, It turned out awesome. Super delicious and flavorful. A few ingredients and you have a fantastic dish to serve your family. You don’t have to sit in the kitchen for hours making crazy things or stewing things for hours.  In about 1 hour you have a fab dinner for you and your family. Simple ingredients and a little patience and you are good to go. The longest thing to wait on is the eggplant to release its water.

So without any further waiting lets get started.

INGREDIENTS:

1 eggplant cut into 1/2 in slice rounds

1 lb button mushroom ( or mushrooms of choice)

1 lb brown rice spaghetti pasta

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce ( I used Newmans own organic pasta sauce)

1 1/4 cup cashew cream

1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp dried onion flakes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the eggplant rounds on a cooling rack lined with paper towel or cloth towel and sprinkle with salt on both sides and rub the salt into the eggplant. Cover the eggplant with a paper towel or cloth towel and place a sheet pan on top with something heavy sitting on the sheet pan such as a cast iron pan. Leave this to sit for 30 minutes.
2. While the eggplant is doing its thing. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Drain and rinse. Pour the noodles into a casserole dish.  Add in 1/4 cup cashew cream and 1/2 of the pasta sauce along with the seasonings and onion flakes. Do not add the vegan parmesan yet.
3. After the 30 minutes is up rinse the eggplant and pat dry with a cloth and set aside. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the eggplant and add about 4 slices to the pan and cook about 3 minutes per side. Cook all of the eggplant slices. Remove to a plate. Pre-heat the oven to 425*
4. Top the pasta with the eggplant in an even layer. Spoon the other half of the cashew cream on top of each of the eggplant slices and spread out evenly on top. Pour the remaining pasta sauce over the cashew cream and top with the vegan parmesan cheese and sprinkle on more Italian seasoning.
5. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is bubbly and the dish is warmed through. Remove and let set about 10 minutes before serving.

I serve mine with a side salad with a light dressing.