Pizza night = my FAVORITE night!!

Pizza has always been a very favorite food of mine.  When we had to switch our kitchen to be gluten-free, I was worried I would never find a decent pizza again. It did take a few years and several major fails trying out new brands, crusts, but I would say that we are close to being pizza connoisseurs at this point!

So with that being said, I had low expectations going into this recipe. I had an eggplant that needed to be used and was feeling too lazy to make my usual hearty eggplant lasagna.  

"I'll just slap some pizza sauce and toppings on eggplant slices and at least it will be edible."

That was literally the ultra uninspiring thought that was going through my mind.  I'm fancy, y'all.  

I did end up putting forth a little more effort to ensure the eggplant slices would hold up well. Let's just say I've also had my fair share of failed baked eggplant.

What I've learned is that salting your sliced eggplants before you do anything else is a very crucial step. This helps draw out a lot of the water and bitter taste that an eggplant normally has.

After that, this recipe is SUPER simple and that's one of the things I like the most about this and the fact that it is extremely flavorful. 

That's a winning recipe in my books.

My daughter had so much fun decorating each tiny pizza pie with all of the toppings.  

This makes for such a fun family dinner that everyone is sure to enjoy!

Mini Eggplant Pizzas

makes 8-10 pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

• Cooking spray or other oil

• 1 cup almond flour

• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

• 2 tsp. dried basil

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp. water

• 1 jar pizza sauce or marinara (about 1.5 cups)

• Toppings: Cheese or Non-Dairy alternative, nitrate-free pepperoni, bell peppers, mushrooms, red onions, etc.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet with oil making sure that every space is covered.  The eggplant will stick and burn otherwise.

2. Lay sliced eggplant in an even layer on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle each piece liberally with a pinch of sea salt.  Allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes to draw the water out.  Pat dry with a paper towel before moving on to the next step.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, sea salt, dried basil, and garlic powder.  Set aside.  In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg and water.  One slice at a time, dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture then coat with the almond flour mixture. Place breaded eggplant slices onto your greased baking sheets.

4. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Flip eggplant slices and spray or drizzle lightly with more oil.  Bake for five more minutes and take out to cool briefly.

5. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons pizza sauce on each pizza round so that it is covered just like a pizza crust.  Add your favorite toppings.  Place mini pizzas back in the oven and make until toppings have melted together, about 6-7 more minutes.  Serve immediately.  These do make great leftovers as well!