Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza

Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza, inspired by a Roman Italian classic. Grilled eggplant meets a delectable tomato sauce, all covered in crispy gooey fresh melted mozzarella and parmigiano, ripe tomato slices, and hints of aromatic basil on a crisp yet tender homemade crust!

Song of the day: “Nina Cried Power” by Hozier.

Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza is a flavor-packed, quick, easy, weeknight dinner idea. In just a few minutes you will be feasting on a light crust infused with a rich bold sauce.

If that is not enough how about topping it with grilled eggplant rounds, mozzarella, Parmigiano and fresh basil?

Great idea for supper tonight? I think so!

Just thought you may want to know:

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables to cook with. I know it is an acquired taste.

Well, for those of us with that taste palate, we are in luck, as this recipe is a great way to highlight the profiles of grilled eggplant.

I Remember When……….

It was long ago that I experienced eggplant parmigiana. To me, it was a dish that was served on special occasions.

My mother and father would spend hours in between making their tomato sauce, coating the eggplant in eggs and breadcrumbs.

Oh, that is not all. The next phase was frying the eggplant and place it in an oven dish layered like a lasagna with sauce, mozzarella, and Parmigiano. Yes, very labor intensive, but oh so lusciously delicious!

Where Simplicity Began!

Where am I going with this you ask? Well, when I met Nicoletta she introduced me to a simpler version of eggplant parmigiana that was equally if not tastier than what I had before. Don’t tell my mom!

Today I am going to share that simplicity in an inspired dish we call Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza!

It’s Pizza night!

Nicoletta loves making pizza dough. To watch her making dough is beautiful. The way her hands feel their way through the dough tells me that we are going to have some delicious pizza crust to munch on.

Five Simple Ingredients:

• Type “oo” flour
• Water
• Yeast
• Salt
• Olive oil

If you want, you can omit the olive oil, following some recomendations from Nicoletta’s Aunt Rosaria However we like to use the olive oil inside. The crust is light, tender, and tasty!

Helpful hints!

Nicoletta starts the mixture in a food processor. When the dough starts to come together and off the sides of the bowl, it is ready to be worked.

We usually make a few dough balls and freeze some well wrapped in plastic so we can have pizza any night of the week, as a result very happy pizza lovers.

Just thaw dough at room temperature in a bowl covered with a clean dish towel. Nicoletta places the bowl in the oven, turned off, with the light on. Watch and see the dough rise again.

Have you ever wanted to learn how to toss pizza dough? I have. Dough tossing is not a thing I can say I am good at, however, that is not to say it can’t happen.

My rule is Never Say Never, and the door stays open just a smidge to allow true desire to set in, and as a result, Manifestation!

Back to our delicious Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza!

The dough is stretched on a pizza pan glazed with the e.v.o. oil. On goes the sauce, grilled eggplant, Parmigiano, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and that ever so fragrant basil.

With the oven nice and hot, ours is usually at 425 degrees F, in goes our pizza.

10-15 minutes have passed and look at this baby! Nice crisp edges, bubbling tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, and Parmigiano. I love how that fragrance of the basil just wafts in the air!

Did you hear that crispness of the crust as the pizza cutter made its way through? Love that sound. Just makes my mouth water!

Tasting Time!

You know your crust is good when it holds up in your hand. My first bite and I AM IN HEAVEN.

The crust is so tasty, crispy yet melts in your mouth. The sauce is rich and bold with that lovely olive oil and sea salt dancing nicely with my taste buds.

Why is melted mozzarella so enticing?

• Is it that it has that varied texture, crisp meets gooey.
• The rich buttery milky flavor?
• Or just because it looks so so good!

Final Notes:

I love the topping. That grilled eggplant tantalizing my tongue, with the aid of the fresh basil, Parmigiano, and that extra drizzle of olive oil makes this pizza sensational.

Even those fresh cut tomatoes, caramelized and intensified in flavor add so much depth to each bite.

I don’t think your family would be too unhappy if you were to announce “Tonight is Pizza night!”

Try this recipe and have a lot of fun in the kitchen making it!

Enjoy!

Song of the day: “Nina Cried Power” by Hozier.

Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza

★★★★★

5 from 8 reviews

• Author: Loreto and Nicoletta
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves2
• Category: Pizza, Vegetarian
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Italian

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Description

Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza, inspired by a Roman Italian classic. Grilled eggplant meets a delectable tomato sauce, all covered in crispy gooey fresh melted mozzarella and Parmigiano, ripe tomato slices, and hints of aromatic basil on a crisp yet tender homemade crust!

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Ingredients

Pizza dough (makes 3 large pizze):

• 500 g farina 00 (or all-purpose, or better, a mix of the two)
• 300 ml water, at room temperature
• 5 g fresh yeast (2 g dried yeast)
• pinch of sugar
• 35 g extra virgin olive oil
• 10 g sea salt

Pizza sauce:

• 1/4 cup good quality stewed tomatoes pureed
• 1 Tsp E.V.O. oil
• Pinch of salt, pepper, and dried oregano

Toppings:

• 1/2 medium-sized eggplant, cut into thin rounds
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 250 g fresh mozzarella cut into rounds
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmigiano, plus some shaved on top before slicing it and serve it
• a handful washed and dried fresh basil leaves
• 1 small fresh ripe tomato cut into rounds
• 1 Tbsp E.V.O. oil

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Instructions

Pizza dough:

1. In a small bowl, add half of the water, the fresh yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Let dissolve.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, the water/yeast mixture and start mixing on low. Add the salt, then slowly add the rest of the water, and keep mixing. Lastly, slowly, add the oil and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the food processor and starts to form a ball.
3. Take it out of the food processor and put it onto a floured work surface. Knead it for a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Form it into a ball, cover it with a bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes.
4. Once rested, give the dough a small fold: stretch the ends to form a rectangle, take the outer ends and fold into the center, turn it 90 degrees and do the same. Then, form it back into a ball. Transfer the ball of dough into a bowl, cover with cling wrap (better if you oil the plastic so it doesn’t stick to the dough when it rises). Transfer the bowl to the oven (turned off) with the light on and let it rest for a few hours (2-3) until doubled in size.
5. When the dough is ready, divide into 3 even balls. Take each piece and shape into a circle using your hands. Oil a 12-inch round pizza pan and stretch dough from the middle out until it fills the pan, leaving a nice border. Repeat this with the other dough and set pizza crusts aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 425° F.

Pizza Sauce:

1. In a bowl combine tomato puree, oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. Mix well, set aside.

For the eggplant:

1. Heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan. Put eggplant rounds into the pan and saute till they start to turn golden in color. Turn them over and do the same. About 2-3 minutes a side.
2. Take out of the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Assemble:

1. Drop a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce into the center of the pizza dough.
2. With the spoon, spread the sauce to the edges of the dough in circular motions, leaving a bit of a dough border for a crust. About 1-2 cm.
3. Place sauteed eggplant rounds onto pizza distributing them evenly.
4. Take the fresh mozzarella rounds and put them on next.
5. Sprinkle with fresh grated Parmigiano.
6. Add tomato rounds, and finish with fresh basil leaves and a drizzling of olive oil.
7. Put in oven in the middle rack and bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust edges turn golden and cheese is melted.
8. Take out of the oven, shave some more Parmigiano on top and cut.
9. Ready to serve.

Enjoy!

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Notes

1. If you want to use just one ball of dough, as we did, you can wrap the other two, separately, in plastic and put them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to use them, take them out of the freezer, unwrap, put in a bowl, cover and let thaw and rise again. Then proceed to stretch and make the pizza of your choice.

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