Here is an easy, guilt-free and totally delish solution to enjoy the amazing flavours of pizza without worrying too much about the calories. These eggplants pizza bites are so versatile that they can be consumed as a sandwich topper, on a salad or as a meal.
Note: There is an oven and stove-top method in the recipe.
Ingredients
- Eggplant (Large) – 1
- Pizza sauce – 1 cup
- Low-fat mozzarella cheese (or any shredded cheese of your choice) – ½ cup
- Tomato – 1, cut into thin slices
- Salt – To taste
- Dried oregano and basil (use any of your choice) – 1 tblspn
- Chilli flakes – 1 tspn
- Pepper – ½ tspn
- Oil – To spray or brush
Directions
Method 1: Oven baked
- Pre-heat oven at 180ºc.
- Cut eggplant into slices with about 1 cm thickness each. Spray/ brush oil on both sides of each eggplant slice. Keep aside.
- Line a cookie tray with baking paper and place the oil-coated eggplant slices on them. Pop it into the pre-heated oven at 180 to 200ºc for about 20 minutes. Halfway through the cooking process, turn off the oven and turn the eggplant and cook for the remaining time. Once done, ensure the eggplant slices can be forked or knifed through.
Allow them to cool for a few minutes. - While the eggplant is cooling, mix all the dry herbs and salt in a small cup and keep it aside. Smear a teaspoon of pizza sauce on each eggplant slice. Top it with a slice of tomato. Now, sprinkle the mixture of dried herbs on each of the eggplant slices. Top it off with a sprinkle of cheese.
- Pop it into the oven at 180ºc until the cheese has melted and slightly browned.
- Serve warm.
Method 2: Stove top
- Spray some oil on a large pan.
- Heat the oil for a few seconds and place the eggplant slices on the pan.
- Allow the eggplants to cook through and soften.
- Follow this for the other side of the eggplant slices as well.
- Run a fork or knife through to see if the eggplants are cooked right.
- Turn the stove off, once done.
- Let the cooked eggplant slices remain in the pan; smear the pizza sauce on each slice, top it with the tomato slices, mixture of dried herbs, salt and cheese.
- Turn the flame low, cover the pan and allow the pizza bites to cook for about a minute to two until the cheese has melted.
- Turn off the stove and serve the eggplant pizza bites warm.
Tips:
- Instead of opting for one variety of cheese, mix a couple of varieties.
- Use fresh herbs in place of the dried ones.
- If you do not have access to pizza sauce, add ketchup instead. But remember to go easy on the salt.
