Paleo Eggplant Parmesan With Pork Ragu {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free + Vegan Option}
Serves 6-8 adjust servings
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese
- 1 cup [aflink u="http://amzn.to/20ckovS"]raw cashews[/aflink], soaked overnight or at least for a few hours
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
Breaded Eggplant
- 2 medium eggplants, cut into half inch thick rounds
- 1 cup [aflink u="http://amzn.to/20cjG1Q"]superfine blanched almond flour[/aflink]
- 2 tsp [aflink u="http://amzn.to/1RRwhGt"]dried oregano[/aflink]
- 2 tsp [aflink u="http://amzn.to/1V5ORbH"]dried basil[/aflink]
- 3 tsp [aflink u="http://amzn.to/1lrHAXj"]granulated garlic[/aflink]
- 2 tsp [aflink u="http://amzn.to/20ck7cw"]sea salt[/aflink]
- 2 eggs, beaten
- [aflink u="http://amzn.to/1RRwvgS"]Olive oil[/aflink], enough to coat the frying pan generously and often
Pork Ragu
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 lb ground pork
- Salt, pepper & granulated garlic, to taste
- 2 cloves or garlic, pressed
- 1 25oz jar of your favorite tomato sauce
- 1 cup red wine
Instructions
- First, start with the cashew cheese. Drain your soaking cashews and rinse them well. Add them to a high speed blender with the water, lemon juice, salt and granulated garlic. Blend together until it is creamy and smooth. You might need to use the tamper that comes with your blender. Taste the cashew cheese once it is a smooth consistency and adjust the seasoning as needed. Put the cashew cheese into a storage container and set it in the fridge while you work on the other pieces of the dish.
- Cut the eggplant into rounds and set aside. Combine the almond meal and spices into a shallow dish. Beat two eggs into another shallow dish and set aside. Generously coat a large frying pan with olive oil and heat it up over medium to high heat.
- Dip both sides of the eggplant into the egg, and then dip each side of the eggplant into the almond meal mixture. This should coat the eggplant and make it look breaded. Place coated eggplant rounds into the hot frying pan and allow them to cook for a minute or two on each side, or until the eggplant is soft and the breading is crispy and brown. Repeat this step over and over until you've fried all of your eggplant. You might need to add more oil to the pan between each batch. Place all of your fried eggplant rounds onto a clean plate and set aside while you make the sauce.
- Heat up the olive oil in a large saucepan. Once the oil is hot, add the ground pork and season well with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Add in the pressed garlic and brown the meat and garlic together until the pork is completely cooked through. Once the pork is cooked, add in the jar of sauce and stir. Add in the red wine and stir again. Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce for 15 to 20 minutes over low heat.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once the sauce is ready, it's time to assemble the Eggplant Parmesan in a baking dish. Layer the sauce on the bottom, and place fried eggplant round on top of the sauce. Cover the first layer of eggplant rounds with more sauce. Using a silicone spatula, add a layer of cashew cheese on top of this sauce layer. It doesn't have to be perfect. Add another layer of fried eggplant on top of the cheese layer. Cover the eggplant with sauce and then once again with cashew cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling, the eggplant soft, and the cheese should harden and crisp up a bit on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before cutting into it. Top with a little chopped fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
To make this recipe vegan, make the following substitutions: Instead of eggs, use a 1/2 cup of almond milk whisked with 1 tsp. of cornstarch. Instead of pork, substitute chopped up crimini mushrooms.
