You all probably know by now how much I love eggplant. And, my favorite eater, Baby Goose (our 2-year-old) also loves eggplant. Eggplant parmesan, roasted eggplant sandwiches, eggplant soup, she loves them all. Bug and Mr. Meaty...not so much. So, in our never-ending struggle to find eggplant recipes that the enter family can enjoy, I tried to create Eggplant Parmesan Pizza.
Seems like it will have to be a winner, right? Simply slice the eggplant (lengthwise) as thin as you can and coat in olive oil and kosher salt. Then roast it in the oven until it's golden (about 30-45 minutes). Then you create your pizza as usual, layering eggplant slices on top of the sauce, topping with Mozzarella and then placing a few eggplant pieces on top to make it look pretty. Top with Parmesan and bake. Mmm...yummy.
Eggplant Parmesan was one of my favorite go-to pregnancy foods. And, in fact, a local restaurant, Scallini's, claims their Eggplant Parm can send you into labor. There are pregnant women in there every day trying to kickstart the process! I went with Bug, but alas, she was still a week late. I considered going with Goose since she was scheduled (they give you a onesie and a free dinner if you have your baby within 48 hours of eating the Eggplant Parm), but that seemed like cheating. But I digress. I bring this up because I wish I'd thought of Eggplant Parm Pizza when I was pregnant! It's so simple to make at home. With Eggplant Parmesan, I often didn't feel up to making it myself so I went out to eat. It's great to eat while pregnant though because it's packed full of folate.
It is also a good source of Vitamin K, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber. Oh...and it's delicious!
Eggplant Parmesan Pizza
Ingredients
1/2 eggplant, sliced lengthwise
olive oil
kosher salt
1 pizza dough
1/2 cup marinara
2 cups Mozzarella
1/4 cup Parmesan
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400. Bake crust for about 5 minutes.
Toss salt onto eggplant and let it sweat for about 10 minutes. Saute eggplant for about 10 minutes. Top pizza dough with sauce, eggplant and cheese.
Turn oven up to 450. Bake pizza for about 10 more minutes.
The Results
Oh my goodness. Why didn't I think of this earlier?? Incredible. And Bug and Mr. Meaty found it "acceptable." Hah.
This post is shared with Keep It Real Thursdays, Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, It's a Keeper, Full Plate Thursday, Tastetastic Thursday and Ultimate Recipe Swap.
