Italian cuisine has spread throughout kitchens around the world with a mix of easy to follow recipes, complex flavors, and deeply personal roots. Most American home cooks likely have one or two Italian based dishes in their repertoire that they can make for friends and family at a moment’s notice. However, with recent trends favoring plant-based diets, does that mean that classics such as chicken parmesan are things of the past? 

With more people dipping their toes into vegetarian and vegan diets, the need for delicious vegetarian meal ideas is on the rise. When you are in your local grocery store or farmer’s market and looking through the produce to find something that will appeal to you and your family, consider grabbing the versatile eggplant for this vegetarian take on eggplant parmesan. 

A Vegetarian Taste of Italy

In this episode of Cooking with Mario, Chef Mario breaks down his take on eggplant parmesan, combining vegetarian ingredients with classic Italian flavors to give people starting on or living with a vegetarian diet a taste of Italy. Whether you want to make this eggplant parm for your family or want some from a corporate catering company in Montgomery County, PA when events are given the green light, Mario’s Eggplant Parmesan dish will be a hit with everyone, vegetarian or not. 

What You’ll Need

To start with, you will want to grab some quality eggplant from your local grocery store. You will also need some salt to taste and help bring the excess moisture out of your eggplant before you start to bread them. Make sure you have seasoned breadcrumbs, eggs, and flour for your breading station and some garlic and whole tomatoes to begin making your marinara sauce. 

Giving your vegetarian dishes every edge in the flavor department encourages more people to incorporate more vegetarian meals into their diet and potentially improve their overall health in the long run. Having parsley, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese on hand will emphasize the Italian flavors and heritage that inspired the dish. Adding the parsley into your breading mixture also brightens up the dish and gives it a more attractive look. After all, people eat with their eyes first! 

Are you looking ahead for an event planning company in Philadelphia to cater your next event? While the city is restricted until February 2021, we are still aiming to plan in advance for any event you have in store. Contact the Catering by Mario’s team today to learn more about our services, menu options, and book us for your next event!