Eggplant, Spinach, and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza

A big thank you to my mother-in-law for the eggplant.  My in-laws came to visit this past weekend and I got 2 japanese eggplants that she had grown.  Tonight, I decided to use one of them on a pizza -- and it was delicious!

I didn't have any cheese on hand and didn't feel like making pizza sauce so we had a white pizza.  Just plenty of olive oil and garlic to flavor it.  The parmesan cheese (freshly grated... not from a can) added a nice salty flavor to the pizza without making it overly cheesy.  Overall, this was a nice healthy pizza (or veggie flatbread, I suppose).

I sliced this into 8 pieces and -- the same as always -- I had 3 and Jeremy finished off the rest of it.  Delicious. You could change what veggies you use, or add some cheese or meat.  The crushed red pepper flake adds a hint of spice (at least a hint to us...) but you can leave that off if you don't like it.  I love how versatile pizza is.  Once you have a good dough, the possibilities are nearly limitless.

You could certainly make this pizza on a stone as a round pizza if you wanted... I didn't want to bother with making a mess with cornmeal like I often do so I just went with pressing the dough into the pan.  (Plus the dough was a bit looser today than usual... the flour just didn't need quite as much liquid today I guess... so it was easier to handle it this way.)

Recipe:
1 recipe pizza dough (available here, or use your favorite crust)
1 japanese eggplant, sliced into 1/2" slices
1 roasted red bell pepper (from a jar or homemade), sliced
1/2 c. baby spinach leaves, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake (optional)
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3 tbs. olive oil, divided

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Drizzle the eggplant slices with 1 tbs. olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Bake for 7-8 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through.  (You want the slices tender, but not browned... otherwise they'll overcook on the pizza.)  Set aside until you're ready to make the pizza.
2.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place 1 tbs. olive oil on a large baking sheet.  Using your fingers, spread the pizza dough over the pan, stretching it to desired thickness (I usually go for 1/4 inch or so... and I used an 11"x17" baking sheet and it covered the whole thing).
3. Top evenly with the rest of the olive oil, garlic, cheese, eggplant, spinach, and roasted red peppers. (I keep the garlic on the bottom to make sure it doesn't burn... the rest of order doesn't matter much.)  Sprinkle the crushed red pepper flake, oregano, and black pepper over the top.  Bake for 15-17 minutes until the crust is crispy.
4. Remove the pizza from the pan, allow to rest for a couple minutes, slice, and enjoy.