These béchamel eggplant boats were so delicious. They tasted like a meal from a fancy vegan restaurant! We have made eggplant parmigiana many times before but I’ve never tried to top them with a creamy sauce before. This béchamel sauce was so creamy and had the most delicious notes of nutmeg and garlic. Sometimes we find vegan cheese can have a bit of an odd texture or doesn’t melt well under the broiler. This sauce bubbled up and almost got a bit of a crust on top of it!
Growing up I ate a lot of Italian food because I have an Italian step dad. Recipes like this one bring me back to my childhood! By creating delicious sauces like the ones found in this recipe, you can take a rather plain vegetable and turn it into an incredible dish. Since Reyhan and I went vegan it has reignited our passion for food and health. Dishes like this seem very decadent but we promise they won’t leave you feeling “heavy” or sluggish. We hope you and your family enjoy this béchamel eggplant boats recipe and share it with friends! Eggplants are super versatile. If you create a unique dish with them be sure to tag us on Instagram. We love seeing fellow vegan home cooks being creative. Enjoy!
Check out our ultimate eggplant sandwich recipe here!
BÉCHAMEL EGGPLANT BOATS
Course: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium4
servings15
minutes50
minutesIngredients
2 medium sized eggplants
- For the Béchamel sauce
1/4 cup vegan butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened oat milk
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
- For the tomato sauce
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 pepperoncini peppers
1 1/2 cups of your favourite tomato sauce
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1 tbsp avocado oil
Directions
- Heat two medium sauce pants on low-medium heat.
- For the Béchamel sauce
- To the first saucepan, for the béchamel sauce add your vegan butter.
- Once your butter is melted, slowly whisk in your all purpose flour.
- Once your flour is dissolved, slowly stir in your oat milk, nutritional yeast and spices.
- Lower heat and bring to a gentle simmer. By adding the flour to the butter, this will help thicken your sauce as it cooks.
- For the tomato sauce
- Add your avocado oil to the other pan. Once your oil is hot, add in your onion, shallots and peppers.
- Pan fry for a few minutes or until they become soft. Pour in your tomato sauce and fresh basil, then lower heat.
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a large baking pan, lined with parchment paper.
- Slice your eggplants down the middle lengthwise and lightly oil the open surface of them.
- Bake your undressed eggplants at 400 degrees for roughly 15 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Remove from oven. First top with your tomato sauce and then drizzle béchamel sauce overtop. Place back in oven for another 20-25 minutes, or until the béchamel sauce turns golden brown.
- Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Top with a dash more of fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!
