Sometimes I really miss comfort food like takeout pizza. Unfortunatelly it is not yet possible to order a gluten free, low FODMAP pizza, so I came up with these eggplant “pizza style” rounds that you can make in less than 30 minutes (faster than actually ordering a pizza) with the plus that is a lot more healthy… and equally satisfying.
So, for this recipe I used the first eggplants of the season, but not the regular ones. I used beautiful round eggplants for the very first time and they are perfect for this dish! You can also use regular eggplants and you´ll come up with mini pizzas that you can serve as an appetizer.
For the pizza base sauce I wanted to try something different, so I made this pesto variation with cilantro. And because many of you cannot tolerate cheese, I topped my pizzas with sautéed golden chickpeas – just the right low FODMAP amount.
The combination of the three flavors is amazing! You have the freshness of the cilantro pesto, the crunchiness of the chickpeas and the delicate and sweet flavors of the grilled eggplant.
Ready to give them a try? You´ll be surprised how quick and easy they are to make and how good they taste 🙂
Eggplant Rounds with Cilantro Pesto and Crispy Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 round eggplant or 2 regular eggplants
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- Pinch of salt optional
- 1/2 cup/ 88 gr. chickpeas canned and skinless
- 1/2 cup/ 60 gr. pine nuts
- 1 cup/ 25 gr. cilantro
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start by draining, washing and peeling the skin of the chickpeas.
- In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, sautée the chickpeas for 5 minutes or until fragrant and golden. Set aside.
- In the same pan, lightly toast the pine nuts for 3 to 5 minutes or until fragrant.
- In a blender or food processor, ad the pine nuts, cilantro, olive oil, water, lemon juice and salt.
- Blend until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Wash the eggplants and cut in 0,4 inch/ 1 cm rounds.
- Place them in the hot skillet with three tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt (optional) and grill each side for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Top with pesto and chickpeas and serve.
Notes
Recipe in Portuguese:
Rodelas de Beringela com Pesto de Coentros e Grão-de-Bico Crocante
Ingredients
- 1 beringela redonda ou 2 beringelas normais
- 3 colheres de sopa de azeite
- Pitada de sal opcional
- 1/2 xícara / 88 gr. grão-de-bico em lata e sem pele
- 1/2 xícara / 60 gr. pinhões
- 1 copo / 25 gr. coentros
- 2 colheres de sopa de azeite
- 1 colher de sopa de água
- 1 colher de sopa de sumo de limão
- Pitada de sal
Instructions
- Comece por escorrer, lavar e descascar a pele do grão-de-bico.
- Numa frigideira anti-aderente em lume médio-alto, salteie o grão-de-bico durante 5 minutos ou até dourar. Reserve
- Na mesma frigideira, toste ligeiramente os pinhões (3 a 5 minutos).
- Num liquidificador ou processador de alimentos, adicione os pinhões, coentros, azeite, água, sumo de limão, sal e misture até obter uma pasta homogénea. Reserve.
- Lave as beringelas e corte-as em rodelas de 1 cm / 0,4 polegadas.
- Coloque-as na frigideira quente com três colheres de sopa de azeite, uma pitada de sal (opcional) e grelhe cada lado durante 5 ou 10 minutos.
- Adicione o pesto e o grão-de-bico e sirva.
Notes
Hi Joana these ‘cheat’ pizzas are so creative, I really like the idea of topping them with crispy chickpeas! Yum!
Thank you, Georgina 🙂