Eggplant Rounds with Cilantro Pesto and Crispy Chickpeas

Quick and easy grilled eggplant rounds topped with fresh cilantro pesto and crunchy chickpeas. The perfect appetizer. Vegan and low fodmap.

Sometimes I really miss comfort food like take-out 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 baby 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 these Eggplant Rounds with Pesto and Chickpeas a try? You´ll be surprised how quick and easy they are to make and how good they taste!

And if you like these flavors, check out also my pizza margherita with zucchini crust and this easy pesto pasta.

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4 from 1 vote

Eggplant Rounds with Cilantro Pesto and Crispy Chickpeas

Quick and easy grilled eggplant pizzas topped with fresh cilantro pesto and crunchy chickpeas. The perfect appetizer. Vegan and low fodmap.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Low Fodmap

Keyword: eggplant

Servings: 4 portions

Author: My Gut Feeling

Ingredients

• 5.29 oz | 150g eggplant baby or regular
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• Pinch of salt optional
• 1/2 cup | 88g canned chickpeas
• 1/2 cup | 60g pine nuts
• 1 cup | 25g 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 eggplant 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

Low FODMAP diet:

• the recommended amount of eggplant is 75 g (sorbitol)
• the recommended amount of canned chickpeas is 1/4 cup | 44 g (GOS) 

Safe serving is half of the recipe portion.

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