Side Dish

EGGPLANT AND SUNDRIED TOMATO PIZZAS is for Side Dish.

EGGPLANT AND SUNDRIED TOMATO PIZZAS takes several minutes to prepare.

EGGPLANT AND SUNDRIED TOMATO PIZZAS takes several minutes to cook.

EGGPLANT AND SUNDRIED TOMATO PIZZAS makes 6 servings.

The ingredients for EGGPLANT AND SUNDRIED TOMATO PIZZAS are:

1 regular or 3 or 4 Asian eggplants, about 1 pound as purchased (peeled weight 14 ounces)
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
? teaspoon salt
? cup (2 ounces) sun-dried tomatoes packed in garlic-flavored olive oil (including about 1 tablespoon of the oil)
? cup (2 ounces) Marinara Sauce (p.?) or purchased sugar-free marinara sauce
6 ounces (1? cups) shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
? cup (1 ounce) chopped red onion
4 slices (? pound raw) bacon, cooked until almost crisp and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Here is how you make EGGPLANT AND SUNDRIED TOMATO PIZZAS:

Preheat broiler and grease a rimmed baking sheet. Cut ends off eggplant and peel if desired. (The dark skin looks pretty, but it may be tough. See sidebar for more instructions about preparing eggplant.) Cut into ?-thick slices. Brush both sides of slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in a single layer on baking sheet. Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat source for about 5 to 6 minutes or until starting to brown. Turn over and broil for an additional 5 to 6 minutes until second side starts to brown and eggplant is cooked but still firm. Cut sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces with kitchen scissors or knife, reserving garlic-flavored oil. (You can buy the tomatoes already cut up.) Stir tomatoes, including oil, and marinara sauce together. Spread sauce mixture on eggplant slices, dividing equally. Cover with cheese. Sprinkle chopped onion over cheese and top with bacon pieces. Broil for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Watch carefully so bacon doesn‟t burn. Grind fresh black pepper over pizzas. Serve hot as a side dish or as an appetizer or snack. Makes 6 servings of 3 slices each. Variation: You may use one slice of pepperoni per pizza instead of bacon. Microwave pepperoni on paper towels for a few seconds to remove some of the grease before using. Tips: 1. For more uniform slices, choose a long, thin eggplant, rather than a fat, round one. A one-pound eggplant will yield about 18 (?-inch-thick) slices of varied diameter. Substitute 1 pound of small Chinese or Japanese eggplants to make appetizer-sized servings. 2. To substitute dry sun-dried tomatoes for oil packed: place ? cup of tomatoes and 1 peeled and minced clove of garlic in a small saucepan or a microwave dish with enough extra-virgin olive oil to cover. Heat through. Mix with marinara sauce as directed in recipe. 3. To peel or not to peel? Eggplant doesn?t have to be peeled if the skin can be easily pierced with a fingernail, but it?s easy to do with a vegetable peeler, so I usually opt to play it safe. 4. If your eggplant is fresh and firm, it probably won?t be bitter, but if you want to be sure, you can salt it to draw out the bitter juices and remove excess moisture. Salt both sides of the eggplant slices and place in a colander or a paper towel-lined bowl. Put a heavy dish on top to press out the liquid. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse to remove the salt and blot dry with paper towels. Number of Servings: 6Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SIMPLEMAW.

The nutritional information for EGGPLANT AND SUNDRIED TOMATO PIZZAS is:

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 190.6

• Total Fat: 14.1 g
• Cholesterol: 21.0 mg
• Sodium: 320.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 7.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g
• Protein: 9.7 g

The dietary needs meet for EGGPLANT AND SUNDRIED TOMATO PIZZAS is Low Carb