Cheesy Eggplant Parmesan Pizza Recipe

Pizza may well be one of the most popular and versatile foods around the globe. The pizza we typically imagine — a thin, circular base topped with tomato and cheese — originated in Naples, Italy. However, since pizza is, at its essence, a flatbread with a variety of toppings, you'll find it in a wide range of shapes and styles from cuisines worldwide. Depending on where you live, you can get just about anything on a pizza. Pineapple, anyone? So, it's no surprise that around the world pizzas are often combined with other great foods to create hybrid dishes, such as the kebab pizza or the haggis pizza. 

This cheesy eggplant Parmesan pizza recipe, created by Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye, is inspired by another classic Italian dish; eggplant Parmesan. The combination of fried eggplant, tomato sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella is a match made in heaven for vegetarians and meat lovers alike. The pizza is made using a thin dough base, which is topped with tomato passata, pan-fried eggplant, and fresh, creamy mozzarella. It's finished off with a drizzle of homemade pesto and a sprinkling of Parmesan before being oven-cooked to crisp perfection. Served with pine nuts, Parmesan shavings, and peppery arugula, this eggplant parmesan-influenced pizza recipe is a perfect tribute to Italian dishes and flavors.

To begin this cheesy eggplant Parmesan pizza recipe, first, you will need to gather the ingredients. For the pesto, you will want fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper. You will also want eggplants, prepared pizza dough, all-purpose flour, tomato passata, fresh mozzarella, shaved Parmesan, and fresh arugula.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Add the basil, ⅓ cup pine nuts, ⅔ cup olive oil, ⅓ cup grated Parmesan, garlic clove, sea salt, and black pepper to a food processor.

Blend the ingredients to form a smooth pesto, and then set aside.

Slice the eggplants into rounds.

Brush both sides of the eggplant rounds with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Heat a cast iron griddle to medium-high and place the eggplant rounds on the hot griddle.

Fry the eggplant slices for 3 to 4 minutes on either side until they are seared and soft.

Continue this process until all the eggplant is cooked.

Set the eggplant to one side.

To prepare the pizza, divide the dough into two evenly sized balls.

Flour a clean surface and then roll out the dough or use your hands to shape it into two roughly round shapes.

Divide the passata between the two pizza bases, using the back of a spoon to gently spread it out, and leaving a small border.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan over the passata.

Top the Parmesan with slices of cooked eggplant and mozzarella.

Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of pesto, and store any remaining pesto in the fridge for other dishes.

Cook the pizzas in the oven for 10 minutes until the base is crisp and golden and the mozzarella has melted.

Top each pizza with a sprinkling of the remaining tablespoon of pine nuts, the shaved Parmesan, and fresh arugula before serving.

One of the great things about homemade pizza is how customizable it is. You can adapt any pizza to your individual needs, whether for dietary requirements or personal preferences, and this recipe is no exception. While this pizza uses ready-made pizza dough, you can make your own using your favorite recipe. You could also use ready-made pre-baked pizza bases. This is also an easy way to make the recipe safe for those who need to avoid gluten; simply purchase a gluten-free base and the pizza is coeliac-safe. To make this recipe dairy-free, you can substitute the mozzarella and Parmesan for one of many store-bought dairy-free alternatives, or make your own vegan cheese using a mixture of nutritional yeast and soaked cashews. Don't forget to swap out the Parmesan in the pesto as well — nutritional yeast is a great addition in its place.

To amend the flavorings of this pizza recipe, you can add a variety of herbs to your pesto to give it a different finish. Similarly, you can add different cheeses to change the texture and flavor of the dish. Cheddar melts well and always makes a great topping, but you can be as adventurous as you like and try adding goat cheese, ricotta, or Asiago. For those who would like to add a boost of protein, cooked chicken pairs well with the other pizza toppings in this recipe.

There is nothing quite like freshly prepared pizza straight out of the oven, and for that reason, we recommend cooking only as much pizza as you think you're likely to eat. This isn't one of those dishes you can easily meal prep earlier in the week and store in the fridge unless you keep the individual components separate. However, on the off chance that there are any leftovers of this eggplant Parmesan pizza, we have some tips to help you store it properly to keep it in the best condition to be enjoyed at a later date.

Make sure that the pizza has cooled completely before wrapping it well or transferring it to an airtight container and then place it in the fridge. It can be safely kept this way for three to four days. This pizza can also be frozen. Once wrapped you can store it in the freezer for up to two months. To defrost it, simply transfer the frozen pizza to the fridge overnight. When it comes to reheating it, always go for the oven or a frying pan rather than the microwave to avoid soggy pizza and to get that lovely crisp back.