Creamy Creole Eggplant Casserole

Ingredients

• Eggplant

  Raw

  2 eggplant, peeled (yield from 1-1/4 lb) or 916g

• Canola oil

  1 tbsp or 14g

• Onions

  Raw

  1 medium or 110g

• Green bell pepper

  Sweet, green, raw

  1 large (2-1/4 per lb, approx 3-3/4" long, or 164g

• Celery

  Raw

  2 stalk, medium or 80g

• Garlic

  Raw

  2 cloves, minced or 6g

• Mushrooms

  White, raw

  2 cup, pieces or slices or 140g

• Chickpeas

  (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, canned

  1 ½ cup or 360g

• Parsley

  Raw

  2 tbsp or 8g

• Thyme

  Spices, dried

  ½ tsp, ground or 0.7g

• Cayenne pepper

  Spices, red or cayenne

  ¼ tsp or 0.5g

• Paprika

  Spices

  1 tsp or 2g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  ¼ tsp or 0.5g

• Tofu

  Silken, firm, Mori-nu, soy

  6 oz or 170g

• Cashew nuts

  Nuts, raw

  1 oz or 28g

• Onion powder

  Spices

  ½ tsp or 1g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  2 tbsp or 30g

• Salt

  Table

  2 tsp or 12g

• Nutritional Yeast

  Vegan - Whole Foods Market

  1 tbsp or 8g

• Bread crumbs

  Dry, grated, seasoned

  1 cup or 120g

• Basil

  Spices, dried

  ⅛ tsp, ground or 0.2g

• Oregano

  Spices, dried

  ⅛ tsp, ground or 0.2g

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Prick eggplants several times with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake until completely soft and skin is blackened in places, about 30-40 minutes. Cool, then scoop out the flesh, discarding any liquid. This step can be done a day ahead.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. Heat oil in a non-stick pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, green pepper, and celery and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes.
5. Add garlic and mushrooms, cooking until mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes.
6. Add eggplant, chickpeas, parsley, thyme, cayenne, paprika, and black pepper and cook a few more minutes, breaking up eggplant pieces.
7. In a blender, combine silken tofu, cashews, onion powder, and water until smooth. Scrape mixture into the pot with the eggplant mixture. Stir well, adding nutritional yeast and salt to taste.
8. Oil a shallow baking dish and pour in the eggplant mixture, smoothing the top. Mix breadcrumbs with basil and oregano, sprinkle over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until browned and hot. Cool before serving.