Vegan Eggplant Casserole

savethecat · July 2011

This is one I made up for dinner parties and vegan potlucks. People love it! Vegan or not. It does take same time. Not an easy or quick recipe but very delicious and not too high in fat/calories (watch out not to over do it on the olive oil!)!

Vegan Eggplant Casserole

You will need:

1 Medium Eggplant
Olive Oil
Herbs and Seasonings Including: Fresh Parsley, Dried Basil, Dried Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Curry Powder, and Salt and Pepper
Nutritional Yeast (Can be found at most any store where organic foods are sold)
Soy Sauce (Low sodium of course)
1 Can Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans)
1 Medium Yellow Onion
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 1/2 Cups White Mushrooms (Sliced)
2 Ribs of Celery
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Package Silken Tofu (You can get this at any grocery store in the canned veggies section usually)
Bread Crumbs (Use the already canned stuff or make your own, either way)

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Peel eggplant and cut long ways into pieces with medium to thin thickness. You should end up with about 9-11 pieces.

Step 3: On a plate or large shallow bowl pour 1 cup of olive oil and a good amount of all of your herbs and spices excluding the curry.

Step 4: Dip each piece of eggplant into olive oil and herb mixture until coated and place on baking sheet.

Step 5: Cook about 10-15 minutes. Eggplant slices should be soft but not mushy.

Step 6: While eggplant sections cook put a wok or deep skillet on stove top. Once heated, add drained chick peas to pan. Let these cook by themselves for about 5 minutes. You want them to get pretty soft.

Step 7: Chop all vegetables and add garlic to pan followed by celery, onions, fresh parsley, green and red peppers, and mushrooms. Season with herbs and add a tablespoon of soy sauce. Cover and let simmer on low heat.

Step 8: By now the eggplant should be ready to come out of the oven. Remove and let cool on baking sheet. Try not to move them around too much before they cool or they may break apart.

Step 9: In a medium to large bowl combine whole package of silken tofu, 1 cup nutritional yeast, a few sprigs of fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon curry powder, a few dashes of garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Mix well. It should resembles a slightly yellow ricotta.

Step 10: Coat sides of casserole dish very lightly with olive oil (or cooking spray) to avoid sticking.

Step 11: Remove veggie from heat and drain any excess water or oil. (You may also need to do this for the eggplant before layering.)

Step 12: Now with all your ingredients laid out the layering goes as follows:

about 3 eggplant pieces on bottom
thin layer of breadcrumbs
layer of sauteed vegetables
layer of tofu mixture
about 3 eggplant pieces
thin layer of breadcrumbs
layer of sauteed vegetables
layer of tofu mixture
Top with remaining eggplant and layer of bread crumbs.

For a crunchy top layer leave as is. For a softer top spray olive oil over bread crumbs.

Fashion the top with any remaining fresh vegetables. (I used some left over fresh mushrooms, red pepper, and parsley in the picture.)

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until top begins to brown. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-9 people

About 300 calories per serving