Julia Child's eggplant pizzas are low-carb and gluten-free, made using eggplant slices in place of traditional pizza crust. The eggplant slices are topped with warm tomato sauce, piled high with cheese and so good you'll totally forget about pizza crust.
2tablespoonsextra virgin olive oilfor brushing eggplant and baking sheet
2cupstomato sauce(recipe follows)
Italian Seasoning(recipe follows)
⅓cupparmesan cheesefreshly grated
⅓cupmozzarella cheeseshredded or sliced
5-10basil leavescut in chiffonade strips, + extra for serving (optional)
hot red pepper flakesfor serving (optional)
Italian Seasoning
¼teaspoondried oregano
¼teaspoondried basil
¼teaspoongarlic powder
¼teaspoononion powder
Tomato Sauce
15ouncecanned tomato puree
½teaspoondried oregano
½teaspoondried basil
½teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoononion powder
½teaspooncayenne pepper
Instructions
Cut off both ends of the eggplant; then cut it into ½-inch thick slices.Put the eggplant slices on a double layer of paper towels (or place in a strainer), sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid.After about 15 minutes, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.After the eggplant drained for at least 30 minutes, rinse the salt off well, under cool water. Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels.
Lay the rinsed and dried eggplant slices out on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil on both sides, and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning.Place them in the preheated oven to roast for about 15 to 20 minutes.When eggplant slices are done, remove them from the oven and preheat the broiler on High.
Meanwhile, combine the tomato sauce ingredients in a small pot. Stir well; simmer on low heat stirring occasionally, until needed.
Spread a few tablespoons of the tomato sauce on the top of each eggplant slice. Top the sauced eggplant slices with a sprinkle of the fresh basil, then top the basil with a generous amount of cheese.
Return the "pizzas" back to the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned, approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve the eggplant pizzas hot, sprinkled with red pepper flakes and extra basil leaves, if desired.
Shortcut: use store-bought sauce instead of making your own.
Salted Eggplant: Putting salt on the eggplant trigger osmosis, which draws out excess moisture and the bitterness along with it. It also seems to make the texture of the eggplant less mushy. However, it is very important to rinse the eggplant slices well, or they may be too salty. Salted eggplant can sit for hours without harming the taste or texture, so you could actually salt them overnight in the refrigerator to save time when you prepare them.
Do not overcook the eggplant slices, they need to maintain their composure and hold up to the cheese and sauce.
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