This new Eggplant Parmesan Zucchini Casserole is full of fresh vegetables, vegan, gluten free and the perfect comfort food. With amazing flavors from only 6 ingredients, this easy recipe will become a staple in your kitchen.
Who doesn’t love comfort food? I know we all get on board with this. Good things are waiting for you coming out of a single casserole dish like my Mashed Cauliflower Green Bean Casserole, the Easy Vegan Taco Lasagna, or the Mexican Street Corn Potato Casserole.
There is so much more to enjoy. Feel free to browse around and have fun.
When Eggplant Parmesan comes to your mind I know you probably expect this isn’t dairy free. Of course you’re right. Traditionally it will be served with a creamy sauce made from butter, Parmesan, some eggs and is covered with lots of cheese.
I have to admit this was definitely a dish pre vegan days I really enjoyed.
Serve it to me and that was gone in no time. It was just the combination fried eggplant slices, layered with tomato sauce and cheesy cream sauce, baked with cheese to perfection.
Hmm, I can definitely see where the love for dishes like that came from. So for me it was high time to recreate my favorite in a vegan way. Just take a look at the pictures.
I would say the result speaks for itself. But it is so much better and of course more delicious. Nothing beats homemade so this is not your traditional version, but in my version it got a fantastic makeover, is vegan and gluten free.
I can happily confirm I served this to some friends, all meat lovers and all knew the original well. So they know the taste and smell in detail.
And they all agreed the taste of my vegan version is much better than the classic, so this is the best compliment that you can receive.
Be prepared to wow yourself and your loved ones, friends, family with this Eggplant Parmesan Zucchini Casserole.
It’s addicting, creamy, comforting, better than the classic, super easy, cheesy, healthy, meat lover approved, drool-worthy, mouthwatering, packed with amazing flavors, shareable.
How to make this vegan Eggplant Parmesan Zucchini Casserole
Make the white sauce according the directions from my Moussaka recipe. Add the chopped garlic. If you have concerns using oil (olive oil is a really healthy and good fat) just replace the amount with vegetable broth.
But it won’t turn out as rich as with oil. Note: if you want your sauce really smooth, just put it in a blender and blend until smooth.
Next and already last step: After the sauce is prepared and the eggplant and zucchinis are sliced, you’re ready to start assembling. Put some white sauce on the bottom of your casserole.
Follow this with a layer of eggplant slices, don’t forget to season with salt and pepper, otherwise it will turn out bland. Add tomato sauce, sprinkle some vegan parm and a layer of zucchini slices.
Again, season with salt and pepper.
Repeat these steps until all slices are gone. Last layer should be white sauce. Sprinkle with reserved vegan parm on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for around 50 minutes at 400°F.
This makes a mouthwatering plant based dinner, lunch, or appetizer. Serve this plain on it’s own or with some bread.
My Eggplant Parmesan Zucchini Casserole is better than the classic, not only does it taste better, it’s also packed with some amazing benefits for you.
Eggplants come first. You can be sure that eggplants are full of vitamins C, K, and B6. Add minerals like fiber, potassium, folate, magnesium and more.
Zucchinis, which are our second health star in this casserole, are great to lower cholesterol levels.
Growing eggplants indoors
Sometimes you don’t have a garden when living in a apartment. Or maybe your garden is simply already full of other things like flowers or plants. Then this indoor method might be a good idea to try.
Yes get ready and excited, do you know you can grown your own eggplant indoors? Use a traditional counter, but make sure it’s large enough.
Also make sure to control the temperature. Like tomatoes these are a member of the night shade family. So they need a warm place in your home more than tomatoes, which you can’t achieve with regular sunlight from the window.
A external light is needed. Don’t use LEDs, it won’t work. We need something with some serious power.
The time until eggplant is ripe depends on various factors. Sometimes it will take faster, sometimes it will take longer.
If you make this give me a tag on Facebook and Instagram, snap a picture. Also if you try this method for eggplant growing I’m curious how was it for you?
But for now let’s get into the kitchen and enjoy, Florian.
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This new for Eggplant Parmesan Zucchini Parmesan Casserole is full of fresh vegetables, vegan, gluten free and the perfect comfort food. With amazing flavors from only 6 ingredients, this easy recipe will become a staple in your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 2 zucchinis
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 15 oz tomato sauce or my version
- 1 batch white sauce from my Best Vegan Moussaka
- 1 batch Vegan Parmesan
- good pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Make the white sauce according the directions from my Moussaka recipe. Add the chopped garlic. If you have concerns using oil (olive oil is really healthy and good fat) just replace the amount with vegetable broth. But it won’t turn out as rich as with oil. Note: if you want your sauce really smooth, just put it in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Next and already last step: After the sauce is prepared and the eggplant and zucchinis are sliced, you’re ready to start assembling. Put some white sauce on the bottom of your casserole. Follow this with a layer of eggplant slices, don’t forget to season with salt and pepper, otherwise it will turn out bland. Add tomato sauce, sprinkle some vegan parm and a layer of zucchini slices. Again, season with salt and pepper.
- Repeat these steps until all slices are gone. Last layer should be white sauce. Sprinkle with reserved vegan parm on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for around 50 minutes at 400°F.
I believe you left out the cooking part of this recipe.
Thanks for spotting this. Fixed now.
Can you give me a little more detail on the prep of the zucchini and eggplant? Thickness, etc.
Also, what size pan do you recommend?
Hi Joe, I suggest to slice the zucchini and eggplant fairly thinly. Something between 1/10 to a quarter of an inch. Of course, it also works with thicker slices but then the baking time needs to be increased. Apart from that there is no secret.
I used a 9 inch square pan. But if your eggplant is a bit larger, try a 10 inch.
Thanks. I look forward to trying it. It sounds delicious
I made this tonight and while it didn’t look anything like yours, it’s delicious. To get it to look like yours, I think I’d have to triple the white sauce recipe.
★★★★★
Do the eggplant and zucchini release water when cooked? does it make the casserole soggy?
Hi Elana! It can be just make sure to dry them properly. Hope that helps.
I made the recipe and it was delicious, but didn’t look anything like what was pictured. I also found the directions sparse and the ingredients out of proportion? I could not fit both sauces, 2 eggplants and 2 zucchinin a 9″x9″ pan. I barely fit it all in a 9″X13″ pan and had to reduce the layers of veges. The sauces and vegan parmesan are very tasty and saved the dish, but it was saucy. I did not know that you had to sweat eggplant. No mention of this in the recipe/blog, but there was something to this effect in the comments. Same with the thickness of slices of veges.
★★★★