Seitan Parmesan

Vegan Chicken-style Seitan Parmesan. Before going vegan, we’d never heard of seitan before. Actually, it’s fairly often that people are like ?!?!?!? when they see either of us eating seitan or hear us talking about it.

They’ll say things like, “what is that? fake meat? ewww” (as if eating animal parts is sooo not gross at all…. riiiight). When I explain that it’s gluten, from wheat, kind of like bread dough, they get it a little bit… but they are still afraid to try it. Little do they know, seitan is fucking DELICIOUS – when prepared right, it has an amazing texture and it’s rich in flavor. If you’re afraid to try seitan, don’t be. Give it a shot. Following this recipe is a good start but there are SO MANY seitan recipes for different types of cuisine out there too.

We have a recipe already for chicken-style seitan cutlets but we wanted to adapt that recipe and make a seitan cutlet for a ‘chicken’ parmesan recipe. I didn’t grow up vegan so chicken parmesan was once one of my favorite family meals. However, my motto these days is, “Anything you can do, I can do vegan” ? so re-creating this recipe was on my list for a while now.

This vegan seitan parmesan has the BEST texture of any seitan cutlet we’ve tried before. It’s so soft that you don’t even need a knife to cut into it and the flavor is spot-on. Also, the cutlet recipe comes together in minutes and bakes in the oven – hands-off, no frying anything in oil – just pop it in the oven and set your timer. ?

We topped the cutlets with our Easy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese and smothered them in our delicious homemade marinara sauce. But you can always use the tomato sauce or vegan mozzarella of your choice.

HOW TO MAKE SEITAN PARMESAN [1 MIN]:

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4.56 from 25 votes

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Vegan Seitan Parmesan

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

Vegan Chicken-style Seitan Parmesan. This veganized take on chicken parm is made from white bean cutlets that are covered in breadcrumbs and baked in marinara sauce, making them so soft and tender. Topped with melty, stretchy, gooey homemade vegan mozzarella cheese!

Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: 8 cutlets

Calories per Serving: 229 kcal

Author: Pasta-based

Ingredients

Seitan

• 1 1/2 cup cannellini beans* usually this is one 15 oz. can
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend like Mrs. Dash
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs can be regular or panko
• 3 cups marinara sauce**
• 2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese (recipe below)

To make homemade vegan mozzarella

• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup soaked cashews (try the quick soak method!)
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the seitan cutlets

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C)

2. Drain and rinse a can of cannellini beans and pour into a medium-sized bowl (or food processor). Using a potato masher (or your food processor) mash the beans until smooth and creamy.

3. Add vegetable broth, tamari, pepper, and all-purpose seasoning blend to bowl and mix to combine.

4. Add vital wheat gluten and mix. When a dough starts to form, use your hands to knead the dough for about a minute. The mixture should be squishy and moist.

5. Break the seitan dough apart into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough between the palms of your hands. It should look somewhat like a chicken cutlet in size and shape.

6. Pour breadcrumbs onto a plate or shallow bowl. Press the seitan cutlets into the breadcrumbs, coating them. Flip to coat the other side. 

7. Place breaded cutlets on a baking sheet. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

To make the seitan parmesan

1. Spread half of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 13x9" oven-safe casserole dish. Evenly place each pre-cooked seitan cutlet into the pan on top of the sauce. It's okay if they overlap a little bit. Pour the remaining sauce on top and cover with vegan mozzarella cheese.
   

2. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce starts to bubble. Serve warm over pasta, rice, or vegetables.

To make the vegan mozzarella cheese (full recipe with pictures and notes here)

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes).

2. Add ingredients to small pot on medium-high heat. Stir constantly until thick. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator.

Recipe Notes

• This recipe makes 8 seitan cutlets.
• *If you're having trouble finding cannellini beans, you can substitute other white beans like navy or great northern instead.
• **Use your favorite marinara sauce but if you're looking for a homemade recipe that makes plenty of leftovers, we have one on our site. You can find it here: http://www.pastabased.com/easy-vegan-tomato-sauce/
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Seitan Parmesan
Amount Per Serving (1 cutlet)
Calories 229 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Sodium 1289mg56%
Potassium 461mg13%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 470IU9%
Vitamin C 7.3mg9%
Calcium 94mg9%
Iron 4.2mg23%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.