eggplant parmesan {manchego}

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large pan over medium heat, add in the olive oil. Sauté onions until they are translucent, then add the garlic until it is fragrant (approx 4 min).
3. Add in the canned tomatoes (with juice) and stir until combined with onions and garlic.
4. Add the tomato paste and maple syrup, stir until combined.
5. Add in basil, oregano, crushed red peppers, salt and pepper. Stir until we’ll combined.
6. Put heat in low and let sauce simmer, stirring occasionally.
7. Coat large baking sheet with coconut oil or avocado oil spray.
8. Place beaten eggs in one bowl, and the bread crumbs in another (you can also use plates for this).
9. Dip each piece of eggplant into the eggs, shaking off the excess, and then dip in the bread crumbs.
10. Place eggplant slices onto baking sheet, place in oven and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown, turning once halfway through cooking.
11. In a medium sized bowl, prepare the filling by combining crumbled goat cheese, almond milk, Pecorino Romano cheese, basil, oregano, garlic, crushed red pepper and salt.
12. To assemble, coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with coconut oil or avocado oil spray.
13. Add a thin layer of marinara sauce to the bottom of the baking dish.
14. Layer eggplant slices over the sauce and top with 1/2 the goat cheese filling.
15. Add 1/2 of the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with 1/4 of the Manchego.
16. Repeat these layers – sauce, eggplant, filling, sauce, cheese – until all ingredients (except 1/4 cup of Manchego) are used.
17. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, making sure it is tight around the edges.
18. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes.
19. Remove foil; top with remaking shredded Manchego and return to oven to bake for another 10 minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
20. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Because I forgot to take a photo, photo cred: Gimme Some Oven