Kaitlynn lives in Benton, Arkansas. She is an aspiring author, wellness enthusiast, and enjoys sharing her health journey with others. See the archives of her articles at mysaline.com/kaitlynn.
A Pizza My Heart
By Kaitlynn Garrett
Some days your soul just calls for pizza. Hopefully I’m not alone in thinking that. But, if you’re trying to eat on the healthier side, pizza isn’t always the best option. Although, there are a few options that have gained popularity recently in the world of alternative carbs. Most of the time, cauliflower is the replacement for pizza crusts but today we’re going to try something different.
I’ve only done this once before, so we are kind of learning together today! Normally, I have no problem with cauliflower, but I wanted to go a different route for this recipe. Today we are cooking up eggplant. If you snarled your nose, I get it. It’s not the first ingredient that comes to mind with pizza, but does have potential.
You can use whatever toppings come to mind for this, and yes pineapple counts. It can belong on pizza, too. Don’t come for me or send your hate mail please. We can agree to disagree. For my pizza, I used vegetables I had in my fridge and pepperoni to make a version of a supreme pizza. With this only being my second time to make this, I made no promises to myself as to how it would go.
Recipe
- 1 Eggplant (Mine was a little small)
- 1 Tbs. Salt
- 2-3 Tbs. Olive oil (depending on eggplant size)
- 2 tsp. Italian seasonings
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
- ½ – ¾ cup of your favorite pizza sauce (depending on eggplant size)
Toppings I Used
- Pepperoni
- Mushrooms
- Bell Pepper
- Yellow Onion
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Cut off the ends of the eggplant and cut slices of equal thickness. Mine were about an inch or so.
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Lay out slices and salt both sides. Cover with more paper towels and let them drain of water for at least thirty minutes. (I probably should have let mine drain a little longer).
- Preheat oven to 375˚
- I used the time it took for the eggplant to drain to chop my vegetables. Then I sautéed them in a pan until they were cooked through.
- After the eggplant has drained, rub off the excess salt with the paper towels. Spray your pan with olive oil and lay out your slices.
- Add your Italian seasoning to the tops and brush with olive oil.
- Roast in oven for about 20 minutes.
- Add your sauce, toppings, and cheese. Put back in the oven and turn the broiler on high to melt everything. This only takes about 5 minutes, so keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Once the cheese is to your liking, take it out of the oven and let it cool.
Things I Didn’t Anticipate
- Mine may have been left in the oven a little too long (25 minutes), and had a softer texture than I would have liked, so check on it while it’s in the oven to ensure that it gets as done as you want it to.
- I made a mess with the cheese. Sprinkle it wisely so you won’t have it stuck to your pan later.
- Maybe the slices would have worked better if done vertically instead of horizontally.
- Pets making surprise appearances in photos.
I hope you get to try out this healthier alternative to pizza!