How to make the best Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza
The best Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza starts with seeking out the freshest eggplant you can find. For me that means a summer stroll through the amazing Santa Barbara Farmers Market keeping my eye out for something special. For this pizza it’s the Fairy Tale eggplant a miniature variety perfect for pizza, but any fresh eggplant will do. Sticking more to the classic Italian preparation the eggplant is cooked in a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil before topping the pizza with fresh mozzarella cheese and a mixture of fresh tomato, garlic, basil, and olive oil. I throw in a nod to red sauce joint eggplant parmesan by finishing topping the pizza with a generous handful of homemade breadcrumbs. All built on a base of my super easy no knead pizza dough.
I’m baking the best eggplant parmigiana pizza in my Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven. My favorite of the Ooni Pizza Oven lineup. For cooking the eggplant I used Ooni Cast Iron Skillet Pan and Ooni Pizza Oven Gloves. Support the creation of more free recipes and content by purchasing Ooni products through my links! Thank you! One love!
Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza
Ingredients
For the Pizza
- 1 lb Eggplant cut into small pieces or halved if using miniature. In the video I use Fairy Tail Eggplant, an excellent miniature variety.
- 1 large Heirloom Tomato Diced.
- 1 clove Garlic Thinly sliced.
- 1 handful Fresh Basil Leaves
- 4 oz Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 ball Pizza Dough
For the Breadcrumbs
- 1 small Ciabatta Roll or other rustic bread Sliced.
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano Grated.
- 3 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
To Make the Breadcrumbs
- Very lightly toast sliced bread in your Ooni Pizza Oven on low heat or in a home oven at 325°F till completely dry, about 20 minutes. Add bread, cheese, and olive oil to the bowl of a food processor and process till mostly fine.
To Make the Eggplant
- Place eggplant is a medium size bowl toss with about 2TB olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add about 2TB olive oil to a preheated 10in cast iron pan, add eggplant and cook in an Ooni Pizza Oven or stove top on medium heat till just softened and lightly browned. Let cool before topping pizza.
To Make the Pizza
- Preheat your Ooni Pizza Oven for at least 30 minutes, I like to heat the center of the oven deck to around 850f before turning the oven down to bake this pizza. For the Ooni Karu 16 bake with the flame at the lowest setting with the flame still crawling above the oven floor. For the Ooni Koda 16 bake on low or "ultra low."
- Add diced tomato, garlic, and some roughly chopped basil to small bowl. Add about 1TB olive oil, season with salt and pepper and gentle toss till well coated.
- Bake in your Ooni pizza oven till fully baked and nicely colored (I aim for a 3-4 minute bake for a more crispy bottom.
- Let the crust set on a wire rack for a least 20 seconds. Finish with a generous handful of the fresh herbs. Slice into 6 slices, serve immediately. I serve my pizza on this 14" Wooden Pizza Peel.
Notes
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