This Italian classic the ultimate comfort food! I love it paired with a simple green salad or if you are craving something more substantial, mixed in to your favorite pasta. So delicious! This version of parmigiana is vegan and nut-free and the leftover sunflower seed ricotta works great in pasta sauce, on pizza or with roasted vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil.
Ingredients: (preferably organic)
Sunflower seed ricotta:
- 1 ½ cups raw sunflower seed kernels, soaked overnight
- ¾ cup filtered water (plus 1-2 tablespoons more if needed)
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp fine sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Parmigiana:
- 2 medium-sized eggplants
- olive oil
- 1 jar of organic tomato sauce
- GF breadcrumbs
- nutritional yeast
- basil, for garnish
Directions:
01. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
02. Cut the eggplants lengthwise into thin slices and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and let sit for 20 minutes.
03. Pat eggplants dry, season with a bit of olive oil and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
04. Make the sunflower seed ricotta by blending all ingredients in a high speed blender until you get a creamy consistency.
05. Remove the eggplant from the oven and let cool. Prepare an oven-safe dish to assemble the parmigiana.
06. Start with a layer of tomato sauce, follow with a layer of eggplant and sunflower seed ricotta. Repeat until the dish is full and finish the last layer with tomato sauce, sprinkle with nutritional yeast, olive oil and GF breadcrumbs.
07. Bake for 25 minutes and top with fresh basil.
