Eggplant Pizza

I'm a gigantic pizza fan, so obviously it's one of my favorite foods.  So when I saw this Julia Child's Eggplant Pizza recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen floating around on Pinterest, I thought I'd give it a try.  Why not?  I'd love to learn another way to incorporate eggplant into my cooking, plus it's a healthier alternative to real pizza.  I'm all for carbs, but sometimes I just don't want all of that bread! It takes some time to make simply because you have to wait for the salt to drain some of the water out of the eggplant slices, but overall these eggplant pizzas are extremely easy to make.  See below for my modified recipe!

Slice the eggplant into rounds of same thickness.  Coat each side with salt and let them sit on paper towels for 30 minutes while the salt draws out the water from the eggplant.

Sautee the finely chopped garlic until fragrant.  Then combine the petite diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano.  Let the sauce simmer on low until the eggplant "pizza slices" are roasted and ready to go.

Roast the eggplant for 25 minutes at 350 F.

Top each slice with the sauce, cheese, and preferred toppings.

Broil the pizzas until the cheese has browned slightly.

Enjoy!

Eggplant Pizza

Pizza Ingredients: 1 globe eggplant, about 9-10" long 1 Tbs salt Fresh basil 1/2 cup finely grated low-fat mozzarella blend Pepperoni (optional) Black olives (optional) Artichoke hearts, canned (optional) hot red pepper flakes (optional) Sauce Ingredients: 2-3 tsp. olive oil 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning 3 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes with liquid 1/4 tsp. dried oregano Instructions: Preparing the eggplant: Cut off both ends of the eggplant, then cut it into 3/4 inch thick slices. Put the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Let the eggplant sit for about 30 minutes while the salt draws out the liquid. After the eggplant has been sitting for about 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 375F/190C. For the sauce: While the eggplant sits, heat 2-3 tsp. olive oil and saute the finely chopped garlic until it becomes fragrant. Add the petite diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano. Let the sauce simmer until it has thickened; break up the tomatoes with a fork as it cooks. Add water as needed, a tablespoon at a time as the sauce cooks to keep it hot by simmering at very low heat until it's needed for the eggplant slices. For the pizza: After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels and wipe off the salt.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place the eggplant slices on a non-stick cooking rack and then put that rack onto the lined baking sheet. Roast the eggplant about 25 minutes. Remove eggplant from the oven and turn oven setting to broil. Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice and top with cheese.  Add your preferred toppings.  (I used pepperoni, black olives, and canned artichoke hearts.) Put the eggplant pizzas under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top (optional).  Serve hot.