Pizza has to be one of my favorite meals EVER.
As a child, I loved making my own mini-pizzas at home, using English muffins as the crust, adding my favorite toppings, then broiling it in the oven until the cheese was bubbly.
I was under the impression that pizza was a perfectly healthy meal, because that’s what we were taught in school–> according to the old food pyramid, I remember my 2nd grade teacher telling us that pepperoni pizza was a well-rounded meal, covering a serving of bread, vegetables (from the tomato sauce), meat and dairy. And apparently, pizza still counts as a vegetable in our school systems.
Too bad our school system doesn’t serve the type of pizza I enjoyed tonight, which was reminiscent of my childhood English muffin pizzas, but with a much heftier nutritional punch!
Because it’s made with actual veggies. 
Thanks to Rande, I tried using eggplant slices as the pizza crust–> which are amazingly “bread-like” when roasted.
I’ve always been a little intimidated of eggplant. The few times I’ve tried preparing it at home, it’s turned out bitter or slimy. But this time, it was a success!
I think the trick is slicing 1/2-inch rounds, then roasting them on parchment paper. (no need for oil!)
I roasted the slices for 20 minutes at 350F, but started watching them after 15 minutes, because some slices were smaller than others.
After the initial roasting, your eggplant “pizza crusts” are ready for toppings!
I added my favorite marinara sauce, then popped them back in the oven for another 5 minutes to heat it up and remove a bit of the moisture.
Then it’s time for cheeeeeeese!
I used slices of raw goat cheddar, then placed my mini-pizzas under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese was hot and bubbly.
Serve immediately!
I love how simple these pizzas were to prepare (even easier than making the grain-free pizza crust), and how they tasted totally decadent, even with a veggie base!
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Reader Feedback: Did you learn about the food pyramid like I did? Was pizza considered a “healthy” food to you growing up?
We have a unique food pyramid up north, due to the northern diet of aboriginal peoples. I ate few veggies, but ate a lot of fresh fish, caribou, bison…
I LOVE pizza too but I also LOVE eggplant so this is a marriage made in heaven.
What a great idea-I am definitely putting eggplant on the grocery list! Happy Wednesday!!
Those look very, very delicious. I remember when I thought there were only four food groups: Veggie/Fruit, Dairy, Grain, Meat. I just looked it up – those were taught to kids until 1992 when the food pyramid started! Crazy how times have changed.
That’s crazy! I’m not really a fan of the new “plate” model either, but it’s interesting to see how it’s adapted over the years!
Eggplant pizzas!!! These are so freaking wonderful. I’ve been thinking of trying one with a portobello mushroom “crust” at some point too.
Thanks for the idea, lady! A portobello mushroom crust sounds fantastic, too!
I love this idea!!! This version definitely qualifies pizza as a “Vegetable”. I’m going to try this and add mushrooms on top
Sounds delicious!! Hope you enjoy it!
Hi
Even with your good results and review I’m a little scared to try this. My eggplant experiences have not been good.
On another note, sometime can you post about water? Sounds boring however there is still conflicting info about how much we need. I don’t think any of the info takes into account how clean of diet you eat. When I eat a big green salad for lunch I don’t ususally drink with the meal. Also have heard that drinking with a meal can cut down on your enzymes. thanks for any input you have on the topic.
Yes, eggplant can be a scary veggie to tackle!! I may have just gotten lucky this time, because I’ve had my share of BAD experiences, too…
And yes, I can definitely do a post on water!
As far as bad eggplant experiences go, did you know the water they contain is very bitter and if you remove it they taste even more delicious?! I learned this on my favorite Italian cooking show – Lydia’s Italy. Just cut the eggplant however you want and put them in a bowl with a small plate and something heavy on top of the plate like canned goods and let it sit for half an hour. All the bitter water will be drained which improves the taste and the texture! I tried it with this recipe last night and it was amazing!
Wow what an awesome idea!!
Love healthy pizza thanks for idea since I am gluten free. I wanted to put raw goat cheese to the oven but does not heat kill the enzyme in raw cheese?
Yes, the heat would probably damage the enzymes in the raw cheese.
If you want to avoid that, you could slice the cheese very thin, and add them on top of the hot marinara at the very end– so it would get warm, but without the direct heat from the broiler.
I made these after Rande’s post, and I absolutely love them! I’m still partial to your cauliflower crust, which I have successfully made for multiple people now, but this is less time consuming and foolproof, to boot
I think I’m still partial to the cauliflower crust, too– it’s so delicious!
I am seeing these everywhere and they look so good! I think someone is trying to tell me something!!
Just made these and I think they have changed my life…it was so hard to stop eating them!
Ha, so glad you enjoyed them!!
If, when you slice your eggplant, you scour it with a knife on one side,& have the oven very hot, more like 260c, you can set the timer for 10 min and they will be perfect!
Also top with pesto or salsa for a summer treat…. Delicious
[...] using dough, this recipe utilizes eggplant slices as a vehicle for the saucy, cheesy goodness. http://detoxinista.com/2011/12/mini-eggplant-pizzas/ 8. Sweet Potato Skins: Due to their color, sweet potatoes are said to have more antioxidants than [...]
I tried these tonight and they were not palatable. My boyfriend and I had to throw them away. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but they were super tough and runny. Maybe I just got a bad eggplant?