Recipe: Eggplant 'Pizzas' with Prosciutto

Apparently, avant-garde 'pizzas' are a thing these days. And what could possibly warrant a pizza air quotes and some hyphenated word that I Google-d for spelling accuracy? No crust! Well, no dough-based crust that is.

Carb-fearing Pinterest devotees speak for themselves - This idea has made it's rounds. Yet it's worth mentioning that BuzzFeed, too, shared 13 gluten free pizza alternatives. Pretty monumental, given that 90% of their content entails cats and/or other small, charming animals.

These eggplant ‘pizzas’ are certainly no substitution for pizza with an actual (gluten free) crust – in that they’re a bit tricky to pick up without creating a mess resembling a crime scene. But, so long as you’re willing to wield utensils, I solemnly swear these will satisfy a pizza craving. There's just something about the combination of cheese, sauce and fresh basil that makes the crust (or lack thereof) an after-thought.

PS. I've had a few requests for the recipe via Instagram, Twitter AND real life (!), so please let me know how yours turn out! 

Notes

-Get creative with the toppings! Pesto + fresh mozzarella would be delicious. Or you could go Greek with feta, olives, roasted peppers, etc.

-For an easy vegetarian meal, skip the prosciutto.

[Original recipe from Shape.com]

Ingredients (makes about 11 pizzas)

1 large eggplant (about 1.5 lbs), sliced into discs ¼ to ½ inch thick

Cooking spray

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

~1 cup marinara sauce

~1.5 cups shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese

¼ cup Parmesan (optional)

Italian seasoning (optional)

2 oz. prosciutto (about 4 slices; optional)

Handful fresh basil, chiffonaded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line 2 baking sheets with foil and spray liberally with cooking spray. Arrange eggplant slices. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. (See the picture above - they don't need to be soaked in oil!) Roast for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven. Flip each eggplant slice. Top with sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and then basil. Drape strips over prosciutto over top.

Return to oven and bake for another 15 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly and prosciutto is crisp.

Serve immediately.