Eggplant Marinara Pizza – Homemade with Flavorful Toppings
This homemade eggplant marinara pizza combines rich flavors of roasted eggplant, tangy marinara sauce, and a crunchy homemade crust for a delicious meal that's well worth the extra time!
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- large saucepan
- Flour-dusted surface for kneading
- Baking sheets
- Parchment or silicone baking mats
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant peeled if desired, finely diced
- 2 cans 15 ounces, or 425 g each fire-roasted or regular diced tomatoes, including juice
- 2 tablespoons 33 g tomato paste
- 1 cup 160 g chopped red onion
- 2 cloves garlic grated (for marinara)
- ½ teaspoon canola oil to coat bowl
- ¼ cup 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil (for crust)
- 2 tablespoons 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil (for marinara)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt for marinara and crust
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper for marinara
- ½ teaspoon black pepper for crust
- 1½ cups 355 ml water
- 1 tablespoon 12 g raw sugar
- 1 tablespoon 12 g bread machine yeast
- 1 cup 44 g black olives, sliced
- 4 cups 480 g white whole wheat, regular whole wheat, or bread flour
- 3 cloves garlic grated (for crust)
- 1½ teaspoons dried basil for marinara
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano for marinara
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme for marinara
- ½ cup 60 g nutritional yeast
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Combine the flour, salt, bread machine yeast, sugar, nutritional yeast, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the olive oil, garlic, and water, a little at a time, until a dough forms.
- Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed until smooth and pliable.
- Shape the dough into a ball.
- Lightly coat a large bowl with canola oil, turn the dough to coat, cover, and let rise for 90 minutes.
To make the marinara:
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic, onion, thyme, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and diced eggplant.
- Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is tender and eggplant is lightly browned.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and olives.
- Lower the heat, cover partially, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the eggplant is tender.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6).
- Prepare two large baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 2 equal portions.
- Press each portion onto parchment to form large circles, about ¼ inch thick.
- Spread half of the eggplant marinara over each crust.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the crust edges are golden brown.
Notes & Wine Advice
Wine Advice:
Pair with a light red wine like Pinot Noir or a dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio to complement the fresh, herby flavors of the pizza.
Nutrition values
Calories: 350 kcal | Carbohydrates: 45 g | Protein: 10 g | Fat: 12 g | Sugar: 6 g