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Wow – this Eggplant and Garlic Pizza is delicious! Simple ingredients, but the flavors of eggplant, garlic, cheese, sauce and herbs are perfectly balanced.
Hey everyone, it’s Jack. Today, I’m sharing a fabulous recipe for Eggplant and Garlic Pizza made with a Roasted Tomato Pizza Sauce.
Quite a few years ago I got dragged to a very seedy bar, in a not-so-nice city in Massachusetts, so I could try what I was told was “The Best Pizza on the Planet”. After finding a parking space where my tires wouldn’t get slashed and I wouldn’t get mugged as soon as I stepped out of my car, I gingerly walked in to the wonderful smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke. I found a table that was the least sticky and the furthest from the dart board and pool tables, and ordered some pizza.
Only one type of pizza was served there, in fact it was the only food on the menu. So my choice was simple: “I will have the pizza please”. Even though I’m not much of a beer drinker myself, I ordered a beer so I wouldn’t get beat up ordering a glass of wine or a cocktail. The beer came in a glass with my pizza. (I was hoping for a bottle.) When no one was looking, I cleaned the glass rim with my shirt sleeve, took a sip of beer, and then started on the eggplant and garlic pizza.
What I bit into was a slice of heaven! There was the perfect amount of garlic, roasted eggplant and the most wonderful rustic, roasted tomato sauce I have ever tasted. After a few slices were gone, an older and very weathered-looking woman came over and asked me how I liked the pizza. I told her I thought it was wonderful – and I really meant it.
Turns out, she was the mother of the owner of the bar, and she convinced him to allow her to make this eggplant and garlic pizza for his customers. It was her recipe and she was quite proud of it. We talked for almost an hour – she was an incredibly interesting person and great company! She shared her recipe with me, and I have been making a version of it ever since.
By the way, when I got back to my car, it had a parking ticket on the windshield – but at least it was intact and not being stripped at the local chop shop.
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Eggplant and Garlic Pizza
For best results, a pizza stone and pizza peel should be used when making this recipe.
Ingredients
- 7 ounce pizza dough (store bought or our homemade Perfect Pizza Dough)
- 6–8 slices of peeled eggplant, cut 1/2 inch thick
- Salt to sprinkle on eggplant
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 inch vegetable oil for large skillet
- Flour for surface
- 1/3 cup roasted tomato pizza sauce or your favorite sauce
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced garlic (more if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Corn meal to coat pizza peel
Instructions
- Bring dough ball to room temperature on a floured pan. Cover dough ball with plastic and a dish towel and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- On a floured surface, flatten dough to a 12-14 inch round. Cover with plastic and dish towel again and let sit for another 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, lay out slices of eggplant and liberally salt each side. This process draws out the bitterness of the eggplant. Let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes. You will see moisture being drawn out. After 30 minutes, rinse them under water to remove salt and bitter liquid.
- On a plate or in a bowl, mix the ½ cup of flour, salt and pepper. Then dip eggplant into this mixture, coating both sides. Shake off excess flour.
- Heat the large skillet over high heat with the ½ inch of vegetable oil to 375 degrees. When oil is hot, lay eggplant slices into oil and cook on both sides until brown (about 1 ½ minutes per side). Remove to a paper towel to drain.
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees and in middle rack, place your pizza stone.
- On a pizza peel, sprinkle corn meal over surface. Lay pizza dough round onto peel.
- Carefully spread pizza sauce to ½ inch from edge without getting any on peel.
- Sprinkle most of the shredded mozzarella over sauce but leave a small amount to sprinkle over finished pizza.
- Sprinkle minced garlic, basil and oregano over cheese and then lay eggplant slices over all. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
- Drizzle a little oil over top and slide pizza from peel onto the stone and set timer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes check pizza bottom for browning with a pair of tongs and cook 1-2 more minutes only if needed.
- Cut and serve with a nice tall cold beer. (Hopefully in a clean glass)
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Martha and Jack, Would it be possible to fry up the eggplant a day ahead? In addition, do you think the eggplant slices would be just as delicious using the air fryer?
Hi Stephanie. Martha and I were just discussing your question. We think frying the eggplant ahead of time would make it soggy once you were ready to use. However the air fryer should work. I would drizzle a small amount of oil on it or use kitchen pan spray and air fry. May need to flip after a few minutes and oil or spray the other side then air fry further.
Good luck,
Jack
I really just want to know the town in Massachusetts the bar is in! Made it tonight. Added some fresh mozzarella as well. It was great!
I drove by the place a few months ago and it is no longer there.
Looking for a way to get vegetables into my winter diet, found this recipe ( I might just discard all of my cookbooks). Pizza is a delicious dish, with the juxtaposition of textures: crisp with creamy, that is, crisp but chewy crust, and creamy fillings of tomato sauce, cheese, and whatever else is in the fridge. The contrast of crisp/creamy eggplant and crispy/chewy crust was outstanding. I have my own recipe for dough, (the third day’s the charm!) so I ignored yours. I’ll definitely be trying your tomato sauce, come next July. Thank you for your generosity, in sharing the recipe.
You’re welcome Catherine! Glad you enjoyed the pizza!
Your recipes are wonderful! I am going to make the roasted garlic aioli tonight and I think I will make the pizza also…thank you so much!
Thanks Deana! Hope you enjoy the recipes!
Yummy! That looks so good. I like to cook my pizzas on a stone to get the crust evenly baked and crispy. That’s what makes the perfect pizza.
Thanks Tony! (Totally agree with you on using a pizza stone!)
Martha, what a great pizza. I do hope you’ll add it to the eggplant collection over at Carole’s Chatter. Cheers
Thanks Carole!