Are you craving pizza but want to reduce your carbohydrate intake? Try these vegetarian eggplant pizzas that are full of flavor and are healthy to boot! Buy low-fat mozzarella to help reduce the saturated fat.
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, sliced into ½-inch rounds
Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil
6 ounces sliced white mushrooms
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup marinara sauce, store-bought (or homemade spaghetti sauce)
10 ounces fresh mozzarella
Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Season the eggplant with kosher salt on both sides (about 1 teaspoon). If you have the time, set the eggplant aside and let it sweat for about 20 to 30 minutes then wipe off the beads of water and any excess salt. If you don’t have the time, you can season the eggplant lightly with kosher salt and move on to the next step.
Prepare a large sheet pan and brush it with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in one single layer. Brush the top of each eggplant slice generously with extra virgin olive oil.
Bake on the middle rack of your heated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the eggplant has softened, turning over halfway through.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Cook the mushrooms over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, tossing regularly until they gain some color. Stir in the spinach briefly until it wilts. Season with a little bit of kosher salt.
When the eggplant is ready, take it out of the oven and top each eggplant slice with 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce and 1 slice of fresh mozzarella.
Turn the oven to broil and return the sheet pan to the oven. Broil very briefly watching for the cheese to melt (about 1 to 2 minutes).
Remove the eggplant from the oven. Arrange the mushroom and spinach mixture over the eggplant slices.
Note: It’s important to slice the eggplant into thicker rounds (about ½-inch slices) so that they do not burn in the oven and also so that they provide a sturdy base for your toppings.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 179; Carbohydrates: 9g; Protein: 12.9g; Fat: 10.9g; Saturated Fat: 6.3g; Cholesterol: 37.3mg; Sodium: 521.1mg; Potassium: 491.8mg; Fiber: 3.4g; Sugar: 5.5g; Vitamin A: 1451.5IU; Vitamin C: 7.9mg; Calcium: 260.7mg; Iron: 1.2mg
Printable recipe available at: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/eggplant-pizza-bites/
