It’s Fall, y’all. Time to cozy up with a delicious and comforting Eggplant Parm Bake packed full of plant protein from our Vegan BE Hive Italian Crumbles. Made healthier by baking the eggplant in the oven instead of fried, this is a guilt free dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant or 2 medium sized ones (you may not need all of them)
• 1 ½ c non dairy milk
• ¼ c flax meal or flour, mixed into your plant milk
• 1/4 c corn starch
• Salt & pepper
• 1 TB Nutrional yeast
• Dash of Italian Seasoning
• 1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
• 1 TB. Italian seasoning
• 1 TB Nutritional yeast
• 2 TB Vegan Parm
• 1-2 Cups flour of choice
• Salt + Pepper
• 1 Package of BE Hive Italian Crumbles
• 1 21 oz can of crushed tomatoes (or your fav jar sauce)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp oregano
• pinch of sugar
• Salt to taste
• 3 c. shredded vegan mozzarella
• Extra parm for top
• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil to finish

Instructions

1. We’re going to make your baked eggplant parm first!
2. Preheat your oven to 425. 
3. Slice your eggplant into ½” slices, place them in a colander and lightly salt them. Let sit for 5 mins. This helps start to bring some of the water out of the eggplant and soften it. Give it a quick rinse and pat dry. 
4. You’re going to set up a little dredge station, 3 shallow bowls or plates. One with your flour, one with the nondairy milk + flax mix (let this sit for 15 mins to thicken), and the last one with panko bread crumbs.
5. Get a sheet pan, line with parchment paper and grease it (also if you have a rack you can use to elevate the eggplant even better, but not necessary!)
6. Dredge your eggplant rounds in the flour, then your wet mix, then finish with the panko, lining them up in a single layer on your sheet tray. One tray of eggplant is enough for this recipe.  Either drizzle the tops with oil or spray and bake for 40 mins until they are super crispy. 
7. While that is baking, we can prepare our meat sauce! Saute your package of BE Hive crumbles in a pan on medium high heat until lightly browned, about 2-3 mins. Pour in your favorite sauce + a cup of water and herbs. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer until eggplant is done, stirring occasionally. 
8. In a Casserole dish, layer half of your meat sauce mix on the bottom. Top with one layer of eggplant, 1/2 cup of your shredded cheese, the rest of your meat sauce, then another layer of eggplant.  More meat sauce and Top with the rest of your shredded cheese and the vegan parm. Put this bad boy back in the oven and bake for another 15-20 mins until bubbly!