Eggplant Pizza Recipe

In this eggplant pizza, roasted eggplant, tomato sauce, and melted cheese unite to create a flavorful pizza-like experience.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Rest time 5

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 122kcal

Olive oil spray extra-virgin
1 eggplant large, unpeeled; 1 ¼ pounds
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup pizza sauce
½ cup mozzarella cheese part-skim, shredded

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray it with extra-virgin olive oil.
Slice the eggplant crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds, yielding about 12 rounds. Place the eggplant rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Spray them with olive oil and sprinkle them with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Bake the eggplant rounds for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn them over, spray with more olive oil, and bake for 10 more minutes, until golden brown.
Remove the pan from the oven, but leave the oven on. With a spoon, spread pizza sauce on each eggplant round. Top with shredded cheese. At this point, you can add more toppings, such as pepperoni or olives.
Return the pan to the oven. Bake just until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Let the pizza rounds rest for 5 minutes before serving.

It's important to use high heat when roasting the eggplant slices. This ensures that excess water is removed and that they don't end up soggy. So, if you prefer to use parchment paper rather than foil, make sure it's marked as suitable for high-heat baking. And if you don't like using olive oil when cooking over high heat, use avocado oil.
I don't peel the eggplant. Its skin is edible and very pretty! Some cooks feel that the skin has a slightly bitter taste, so they prefer to remove it. I find that the combination of oven-roasting and the flavors from the pizza toppings masks any bitterness.
Storage: You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power. You can also enjoy them cold! They are a delicious hybrid between cold leftover pizza and Italian antipasti.