Julia Child's Eggplant Pizza (Video) – Kalyn's Kitchen

Julia’s Eggplant Pizza for Kids is made on a base of roasted eggplant with tomatoes, herbs, garlic, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. And this vegan eggplant pizza is so great for a meatless main course!

Pin this eggplant pizza recipe to try later!

I’ve been a fan of eggplant for a few years, starting when I planted several different types of eggplant in my garden and gave them a try. And when I started thinking about making a low carb pizza on an eggplant base, I was excited to find this recipe Julia baby eggplant pizza in From the kitchen of Julia Child (affiliate link) The only Julia Child cookbook.

This recipe shows just how ahead of its time Julia was with the idea of low-carb, gluten-free, and vegan pizza. But I admit that although the inspiring recipe was from Julia Child, I made a few changes to the eggplant pizza recipe.

I cut the eggplant a little thicker than what Julia said and I also roasted it uncovered rather than covered in tin foil. I also used some fresh, thinly sliced basil on my pizza, a change I’m sure Julia would agree with. And I used two types of cheese and a generous amount of dried herbs, for this eggplant pizza recipe that’s full of flavour.

This recipe has been popular on the blog for a few years now and it’s eggplant season so I remind you of this eggplant pizza recipe for me Friday favorite Choose this week! I hope you enjoy trying it.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

spherical eggplant
Salt to remove water from eggplant
olive oil
basil leaves (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Finely grated mozzarella cheese
Hot red pepper flakes, optional
Very finely minced garlic cloves
Canned small tomato cubes
dry Italian herbal seasoning (affiliate link)
Greek oregano (affiliate link)

What kind of eggplant is best for eggplant pizza?

I used a large eggplant glob for this recipe. These are the largest and fattest types of eggplant and are also the type you are most likely to see in American supermarkets. In fact, the Globe Eggplant is sometimes called the American Eggplant!

Do you need eggplant salt for this recipe?

I highly recommend salting the eggplant for this recipe and letting it sit for 30 minutes. The salting step, Julia says, is to “remove excess moisture and create curl quality.” And while an eggplant pizza will never have a firm, crunchy base like a doughy pizza, salting will remove the water that could make it soggy.

Will salting make eggplant too salty?

After the eggplant has sat for 30 minutes and the water is released, the water and salt are wiped off with a paper towel.

What other types of eggplant pizza can you make?

This recipe is for a low-carb vegan pizza. But you can certainly use other pizza toppings such as sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives or peppers. I would cook the sausage and then add the sauce ingredients. Mushrooms or peppers should be precooked before adding them to the top of the pizza; Pepperoni and black olives can be added under or on top of the cheese.

Want more ideas for low carb pizza?

If you’re craving pizza but don’t want a high-carb version, check out my mega presentation Low carb pizza recipes One of the great blogs on the web! Most low-carb pizza ideas are also gluten-free.

How to make Julia Child’s eggplant pizza:

(Scroll down for the full recipe with nutritional information.)

For this recipe, you will need spherical eggplant, about 9 inches. (Mine weighed about half a pound.)
Cut the eggplant into slices about 3/4 inch thick, trying to get them to the same thickness.
Place the eggplant slices on a double layer of paper towels, and salt generously.
While the eggplant is sitting, begin to cook a generous amount of garlic in the olive oil.
Then add a can of good quality cherry tomatoes (or 2 cups of fresh diced tomatoes), dried Italian herbal seasoning (referral link) and dryer Greek oregano (Referral link).
Allow the sauce to simmer, adding a tablespoon or two of water whenever it seems dry.
After 30 minutes, you can see the liquid released from the eggplant.
Dry the eggplant with paper towels and wipe off the excess salt. Make sure to do this or the pizza will be too salty.)
Brush eggplant with oil, sprinkle with dried herbs, and roast at 375 F / 190 C for 25 minutes.
While the eggplant is roasting, cut the fresh basil into thin slices (if using) and measure out the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
My eggplant was done after roasting for 25 minutes.
Divide the sauce mixture among the eggplant pieces and top each with some basil slices.
Then put a generous amount of cheese on top of each one.
Put the pizza under the grill until the cheese melts and serve.

Make it a low-carb vegan meal:

Julia suggested this as a first dish or a side dish, but I ate it as a main dish, with Summer tomato salad with goat cheese on the side. This would also go well with Spring salad is a problemAnd the Lemon and Parmesan Kale SaladAnd the Avocado and tomato salador Fresh tomato, olive and mozzarella salad.

More Low-Carb Eggplant from Calin:

Grilled eggplant with feta and herbs

mediterranean eggplant

Spicy grilled eggplant and zucchini salad

Grilled eggplant salad

Spicy grilled eggplant

Ingredients

1 globular eggplant, about 8 ounces and 9-10 inches long
1 ton of salt to extract water from eggplant
2 tons of olive oil to brush the eggplant before roasting
2 tsp. Dried Italian seasoning to sprinkle on eggplant before roasting
10 large basil leaves, sliced chiffonoids (optional)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely grated mozzarella cheese
Hot red pepper flakes for sprinkling ready-made pizza (optional)

sauce ingredients

3 teaspoons. Extra virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
14.5 ounces small diced tomatoes with liquid (see notes)
1/2 tsp. Dried Italian seasoning mix
1/4 tsp. Dried thyme (use Greek or Turkish oregano)

instructions

Cut the ends of the eggplant. Then cut it into 3/4-inch-thick slices (trying to make them the same thickness!)
Lay the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle salt generously on both sides. Let the eggplant sit with the salt for 30 minutes to draw out the liquid.
After the eggplant has been sitting for 15 minutes, turn on the oven at 375 F / 190 C.
While the eggplant is sitting, make the sauce. Heat 2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on the pan) and fry the chopped garlic until fragrant. (Don’t let it be brown.)
Add the diced cherry tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano and simmer the sauce until it thickens, cracking the tomatoes with a fork while they’re cooking. (Add water as needed, a few tablespoons at a time while the sauce cooks, keeping it hot by boiling over very low heat until needed for the eggplant slices.)
After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels (this also removes most of the salt).
Spray a baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick spray, place the eggplant slices on it, brush the surface of the eggplant with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning.
Roast the eggplant for 25 minutes (but not so long that the slices are soft and lose their shape,” says Julia.
While the eggplant is roasting, slice fresh basil leaves (if using) and mix in freshly grated Parmesan cheese and reduced-fat mozzarella mixture.
After 25 minutes or when the eggplant pieces are cooked, remove the eggplant from the oven and turn the oven over to the grill.
Spread a few tablespoons of the sauce over each eggplant slice, sprinkle with thinly sliced basil (if using) and top with a generous dollop of cheese.
Place the pizza under the grill until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. (This took 6-7 minutes, but I was using a toaster oven and on a more powerful grill it might only take a few minutes.)
Serve hot with red pepper flakes and sprinkle over pizza if desired.

Notes

Use 2 cups of fresh, peeled and diced tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes if you prefer.

For nutritional information, two slices of pizza are considered a serving.

This recipe is adapted from one found in From the kitchen of Julia Child.

Nutrition information:

fruit:

serving size:

1

Amount per service:
Calories: 195Total fat: 15 gramsSaturated fat: 4 gramsUnsaturated fats: 10 gramsCholesterol: 14 mgsodium: 535 mgCarbohydrates: 11 gramsthe basic: 3.6 gramssugar: 4.6 gramsprotein: 6 grams

Nutrition information is calculated automatically by the Recipe Plug-In I’m using. I am not a dietitian and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, as many variables affect these calculations.

Low Carb Diet / Low Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
I’m pretty sure Julia Child didn’t bother with low-carb eating, but nonetheless this low-carb eggplant pizza is a great choice for low-carb, gluten-free diets, and for any stage of the original South Beach diet. .

Find more recipes like these:
Uses eggplant recipes or Oven dinner To find more recipes like these. You may also like to check out Kalyn’s Kitchen on PinterestAnd the in FacebookAnd the on instagramor in Youtube To see all the good recipes I share there.

Historical notes for this recipe:
This recipe was first published in 2012. It was last updated with more information in 2022.