Eggplant, Basil and Mozzarella Pizza (with a Big Green Salad)

Photo: Istock

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The mission of NoTakeOut is to provide a complete menu, an express-line-friendly shopping list and a game plan to prepare a delicious, seasonal dinner. NoTakeOut goes beyond just a recipe by helping you buy and prepare an entire meal, not just a dish – and have fun in the process. Also try these convenient weeknight recipes from NoTakeOut.com.

Also try these other healthy homemade pizza recipes.

SERVES
4 servings

PREP TIME
15-20 minutes

COOKING TIME
30 minutes

SHOPPING LIST
1 pound eggplant
1 bunch basil
1 large head lettuce
1 shallot
2 ripe tomatoes
12 ounces fresh mozzarella
1 small package pine nuts
1 package unbaked pizza dough

PANTRY ITEMS
Dijon mustard
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fine or coarse sea salt
Garlic
Parmigiano Reggiano
Red wine vinegar
Unbleached, all-purpose flour

SUGGESTIONS
Wine: Chianti
Dessert: Fresh fruit salad

GAME PLAN
Preheat the oven to 400F, set out all the tools and ingredients you will need, and open the wine.

Brush the sheet pan with olive oil. Trim the stem from the eggplant and slice it into 1/4-inch thick slices. Put the slices on the baking sheet. Brush them generously with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drain and cut the mozzarella into very thin slices.

Rinse and pat dry the basil; pluck 2 cups of leaves. Peel 2 cloves of garlic and thinly slice one of them. Grate 1/3 cup of Parmigiano. Separate the lettuce leaves, and wash and spin them dry. Peel and thinly slice the shallot. Rinse, core, and cut the tomatoes into 6 wedges each.

Dust a clean work surface with a generous amount of flour. Dust a baking sheet with an even layer of flour. Roll or pat out the dough on the work surface, until it is about the same size as the baking sheet.

If you’ve used a rolling pin, roll the dough lightly over it, then unroll it on the baking sheet. Otherwise, slip the baking sheet under the dough and shift it onto the sheet. Put the dough on top of the oven so it rises from the warmth of the preheating oven. It only needs to rise for about 15 minutes.

Put the eggplant in the oven and bake until the slices begin to soften and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Put the pine nuts in the frying pan, and put them in the oven with the eggplant. Don’t go far away, they’ll only take about 4 minutes to toast. When the pine nuts are pale golden, remove them from the oven.

While the eggplant is baking, put the shallot in a bowl with 1 tablespoon vinegar. Whisk in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon mustard. Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Taste and set aside. Sprinkle the pizza dough with the garlic slices, and cover those with mozzarella slices.

Check the eggplant – it should be nice and golden now. Remove the eggplant from the oven. Use a metal spatula to transfer the slices to the pizza, overlapping them if necessary. Drizzle the eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and put the pizza in the oven. It will take about 20 minutes to bake.

While the pizza’s baking, make the pesto. Put the basil, the garlic clove, the pine nuts and 1/3 cup of olive oil in a food processor or blender, and process to a puree. Turn the mixture into a bowl and mix in the grated Parmigiano by hand.

Add the lettuce leaves to the vinaigrette. When the pizza is baked, the cheese is nice and bubbling and the eggplant is a darker shade of brown, remove it from the oven. Drizzle it with the pesto, and let the pizza cool for 5 minutes.

You have just enough time now to set the table, toss the salad (don’t forget to taste it and adjust the seasoning), and take it and the wine to the table. Cut the pizza into serving-sized pieces and take it to the table.

Recipe courtesy of NoTakeOut.com, which also features tips for incorporating it into a full meal.

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