Vegan Pesto Pizza with Eggplant
Topped with creamy, charred eggplant slices and bright-red pickled peppers, this vegan pesto pizza is a satisfying, comforting meal for any time of year.
Makes: 1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza
Cost: $15
Equipment
- Food processor
- Small saucepan
- Cutting board and knife
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
- Rolling pin (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large eggplant
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- ¾ cup vegan pesto, store-bought or homemade (recipe follows)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped pickled hot or sweet red peppers, store-bought or homemade (recipe follows)
Instructions
- If you are making your own pickled sweet or hot peppers (recipe follows), start them first.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone in the top third or place the steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- If you are making your own vegan pesto (recipe follows), start it right after you preheat the oven.
- Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the eggplant into ½-inch-thick slices. Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a small ramekin and grab a pastry brush. Lightly brush both sides of each eggplant slice, working quickly so the oil doesn’t soak into the spongy vegetable. Then, sprinkle both sides of the eggplant with salt. Slide the baking sheet onto the rack in the top third of your oven (put it right on top of your baking stone, if that is on the top rack). Broil for 5 to 6 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Take the baking sheet out of the oven, use a thin metal spatula to carefully flip the eggplant slices, and return the baking sheet to the rack in the top third of the oven. Broil for 5 more minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove the eggplant slices from the oven and transfer them to a plate to cool.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a baking sheet / pizza pan or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Prick the dough all over with a fork. Spread the pesto on the dough, getting it all the way to the edges. Then, lay the eggplant slices on top, cutting them into half-moons if you like. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden around the edges and evenly browned on the bottom—about 8 minutes on the baking sheet, 5 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Take the pizza out of the oven. Use a fork to mash down the eggplant slices a bit (this will make the pizza easier to slice). Drizzle the pizza with olive oil, season with another pinch of salt, and top with the chopped pickled red peppers. Slice and serve.