About 1-2 cups vegetable oil, enough for frying the eggplant
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
½ cup flour
½ cup vegan parmesan cheese (we used Follow Your Heart Parmesan shreds)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
Garnishes (optional)
Vegan butter
Garlic powder
Vegan grated Parmesan (we used Follow Your Heart brand)
Sliced vegan cheese of your choice (we used Follow Your Heart Provolone slices)
Fresh basil, minced
Instructions
Turn oven broiler on low
Marinara
In a small saucepan, heat olive oil on medium high heat.
Saute onions until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Add garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and seasonings.
Cover and simmer on low while you prepare your sandwiches.
Eggplant and Sandwiches
Place sliced eggplant rounds on a flat surface and sprinkle both sides with 2 teaspoons Kosher salt. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Rinse eggplant slices of salt and place on a paper towel lined plate to dry, about 10 minutes.
While your eggplant is drying, set up your dredging station.
In one bowl, add the almond milk
In a second bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs, vegan Parmesan shreds, and remaining teaspoon salt, mixing to combine.
In a third bowl, add flour and cornstarch, mixing to combine.
Place eggplant rounds first in the flour mixture, then the almond milk. Next, coat the eggplant rounds in the bread crumb/cheese mixture.
Be sure that each eggplant round is fully coated.
In a large fry pan, add enough oil to cover about 1½” from the bottom of the pan.
Once oil reaches 375” degree F on medium/medium-high heat, fry eggplant in 2-3 batches.
Fry until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, Place ½ teaspoon butter on each slice of the sourdough loaf and sprinkle with garlic powder.
Broil on low until golden brown and the edges are crispy
Remove bread from oven
Assemble sandwiches by placing 2 eggplant rounds, 2 slices of cheese, about 1-2 tablespoons marinara sauce, a few sprinkles of grated Parmesan cheese and fresh minced basil.
Enjoy!
Notes
1. By sprinkling the eggplant slices with salt, you’re removing some of its bitterness. This step is not necessary, but we do recommend it. 2. When coating your eggplant rounds, it’s easiest to work with one dry hand (for coating) and one wet hand (for dipping in liquids). 3. We buy all our vegan cheeses from Sprouts or Whole Foods Market. If you cannot find the brand we use, you can use any brand you'd like.
Recipe by Eat Figs, Not Pigs at https://www.eatfigsnotpigs.com/vegan-eggplant-parmesan-sub-sandwiches/