Ever thought, why does pizza have to come on a doughy crust? I did too. Well, I was perusing the internets when I came across a unique take on homemade pizzas. Eggplant pizza? What, even? Intrigued, I scanned the recipe; realizing I had the majority of the ingredients I seriously went to Trader Joe's just to buy an eggplant. Only an eggplant. That's all. This is the aftermath which a few of my friends so luckily got to enjoy.
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| Photo courtesy of the Instagram: ZeroDecorum |
Ingredients:
- 1 eggplant ($0.89)
- 1 cup marinara sauce ($0.53)
- 4 vegan italian sausages ($1.35)
- ½ cup vegan mozzarella ($0.96)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil -
- enough coarse sea salt to coat both sides of the sliced eggplant but I did not measure so I am not sure how much that is, sorry
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to bake at 400ºF. Slice the eggplant into ½ inch slices. If sliced too thin, the salting and baking will cause the eggplant to get soggy and crumble. If sliced too thick, the baking process will not make the eggplant crispy enough to hold the weight of the ingredients. I have found that ½ inch thick slices yield the most sturdy, crispy pizzas; every eggplant is different so you may have to adjust the thickness for your liking. Coat both sides of the eggplant with the coarse salt and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Salt brings out the bitter taste inherent in the eggplant; after 20 minutes wipe all moisture and residue off of the eggplant slices. Slice the sausages and fry them in oil until crispy. Heat the marinara sauce on the stove until warmed through. Lightly sprinkle the eggplant slices with sea salt and set on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes but do not let the eggplant get mushy when baked too long. Remove the slices and top with the sauce, sausage, and cheese. Set the oven to broil and place the pizzas in for about 3 minutes, just to melt the cheese. Remove and devour.
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The smaller end of the eggplant will make mini bite sized pizzas
while the larger end makes personal "pan" pizzas |
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Place the eggplant slices on a paper towel before salting to ensure
the most moisture is absorbed and the bitterness removed |
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Sometimes the smaller slices will get crispy quicker than
the larger slices so keep checking while baking and remove if necessary |
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Tofurky is my go-to faux meat
WATCH OUT: Trader Joe's meatless Italian Sausage contains egg whites! |
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Slice the sausage into ½ inch slices for a more meaty texture
Slice thinner for a crispier variation |
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I usually place the cooked sausage bites on a paper towel
to soak up that extra oil
I KNOW, I am THAT person who dabs their greasy pizza... |
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| Fav sauce right now: Trader Joe's Tomato Basil |
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| Yurm |
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| Whatta feast! |
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