Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas (Video)

Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas made on a base of roasted eggplant are great for an appetizer, or eat two slices for a main dish!

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Watch the video to see if you might like to make Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas!





August 15 would have been Julia Child’s birthday, and I was honored to be one of the bloggers asked to share thoughts of Julia in a tribute written for PBS Food. My friend Lydia completely captured why food bloggers want to honor Julia in her post on Six Lessons I Learned About Food Blogging from Julia Child.

Julia was known for her appreciation of bread, butter, and wine, so when you’re writing a blog focused on carb-conscious cooking, finding a suitable Julia Child recipe that will appeal to your readers can be a challenge. That’s why I was so excited to find these Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas in From Julia Child’s Kitchen (affiliate link) my one and only Julia Child cookbook. This recipe illustrates perfectly how Julia was ahead of her time with this low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian, and low-glycemic pizza.

This recipe is part of the Cook for Julia project that’s part of the celebration at PBS Food. Thanks for the inspiration Julia, and also for showing us that cooking gourmet food at home was not only possible, but also a lot of fun. Check below for links to other blog posts featuring recipes from Julia.

I must confess that even though the inspiring recipe was Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas, I did make a few minor changes in the recipe. I cut the eggplant slightly thicker than Julia said and also roasted them uncovered rather than covered with foil. I also used some thinly sliced fresh basil on the pizzas, a change I am sure Julia would approve of. Other than that, the recipe is really quite close to Julia’s version.

How to Make Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

For this recipe you’ll need a globe eggplant, about 9 inches long. (The one I had weighed about 1/2 pound.) Cut the eggplant in slices about 3/4 inch thick, trying hard to make them all the same thickness. Then lay the eggplant slices on a double layer of paper towels and salt generously to draw out the water. (Julia says this is “to remove excess moisture and puckery quality.”) While the eggplant sits, make the sauce. Start by cooking a generous amount of garlic in olive oil. Then add a can of good quality petite dice tomatoes (or 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes), dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano. Let the sauce simmer, adding a tablespoon or two of water whenever it seems dry. After 30 minutes, you can see the liquid that’s released from the eggplant. Blot eggplant dry with paper towels (This also wipes off the excess salt. Be sure to do that or the pizzas will be way too salty.) Brush the eggplant with oil, sprinkle with dried herbs, and roast at 375F/190C for about 25 minutes. (Julia says “not so long that the slices become mushy and lose their shape.”) While the eggplant roasts, thinly slice fresh basil (if using) and measure out the mozzarella. (I mixed together mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.) My eggplant was done after it roasted for 25 minutes. Divide the sauce mixture among the eggplant pieces and top each with some sliced basil. Then top each one with a generous amount of cheese. Put pizzas under the broiler, just until the cheese is melted and serve.

Make it a Meal:

Julia suggested this as a first course or side dish, but I ate it as the main dish, with a Summer Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette, Goat Cheese, and Fresh Herbs on the side.

More Recipes from Julia Child by Food Bloggers:

Chocolate Chip Spice Pound Cake for Julia Child’s Birthday from The Perfect Pantry

Julia Child’s Eggplant Gratin from Andrea Meyers

Julia Child’s Puree of White Beans with Garlic and Herbs from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Julia Child’s Perfect Chocolate Mousse from David Lebovitz

Julia Child’s Chocolate Almond Cake from Apron Strings

Julia Child’s Spaghetti Marco Polo from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Julia Child’s Croissants and Quick Blackberry Jam from Barbara Bakes

Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon from Simply Recipes

French Pistou Sauce in Honor of Julia Child from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Julia Child’s Cheese Souffle from Culinary Types

Print Julia Child's Eggplant Pizzas Yield Makes 8 slices eggplant pizza Prep Time 50 minutes Cook Time 32 minutes Total Time 1 hour 22 minutes I love this recipe for Julia Child's Eggplant Pizzas made on a base of roasted eggplant. Ingredients 1 globe eggplant, about 8 ounces and 9-10 inches long

1 T salt, for drawing water out of eggplant

2 T olive oil, for brushing eggplant before roasting

2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, for sprinkling on eggplant before roasting

10 large basil leaves, cut in chiffonade strips (optional)

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/3 cup finely grated mozzarella

hot red pepper flakes for sprinkling finished pizza (optional) Sauce Ingredients 3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped

14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes with liquid (see notes)

1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning blend

1/4 tsp. dried oregano (use Greek or Turkish oregano) Instructions Cut off both ends of the eggplant; then cut it into 3/4 inch thick slices (trying to make them the same thickness!) Put the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid. After the eggplant sits for 15 minutes, turn on the oven to 375F/190C. While the eggplant sits, make the sauce. Heat 2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan) and saute the finely chopped garlic just until it becomes fragrant. (Don't let it brown.) Add the petite diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano and let the sauce cook at a low simmer until it's thickened, breaking up the tomatoes with a fork as it cooks. (Add water as needed, a few tablespoons at a time as the sauce cooks, keeping it hot by simmering at very low heat until it's needed for the eggplant slices.) After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels (this also removes most of the salt.) Spray a roasting sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray, lay eggplant slices on, brush the tops of the eggplant with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning. Roast the eggplant about 25 minutes (but "not so long that the slices become mushy and lose their shape" as Julia says.) While the eggplant roasts, thinly slice the fresh basil leaves (if using) and combined freshly grated Parmesan and low-fat mozzarella blend. After 25 minutes or when eggplant pieces are done, remove eggplant from the oven and turn oven setting to broil. Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice, sprinkle with thin basil slices (if using) and top with a generous amount of cheese. Put pizzas under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. (This took 6-7 minutes for me, but I was using a toaster oven and in a more powerful broiler it would probably only take a few minutes.) Serve hot, with red pepper flakes to sprinkle on pizza if desired. Notes Use 2 cups peeled and diced fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes if you prefer. For nutritional information, two pizza slices is considered to be a serving. This recipe adapted from one found in From Julia Child's Kitchen. Nutrition Information: Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 195 Total Fat: 15g Saturated Fat: 4g Unsaturated Fat: 10g Cholesterol: 14mg Sodium: 535mg Carbohydrates: 11g Fiber: 13.8g Sugar: 4.8g Protein: 6g Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:

I’m quite sure that Julia Child didn’t care about low-carb eating or the South Beach Diet, but nevertheless these low-carb eggplant pizzas are a great choice for any phase of South Beach and also for low-carb, Keto, and low-glycemic eating plans.

Find More Recipes Like This One on Pinterest:

Use Eggplant Recipes or Oven Dinners to find more recipes like this one. Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.