Eggplant Pizza- Gluten-Free healthy, delicious, and Ready in Under 30 minutes – perfect for parties! How good does that sound?
If there’s one thing we all can bond over, it’s definitely our love for pizzas! I personally love pizzas and am always on the lookout to create different pizzas with vegan ingredients. Quite recently, I experimented with eggplant pizza, not knowing how it would turn out! To my surprise, it turned out absolutely delicious! And now that I’ve come up with this lip-smacking recipe, I have to share it with all of you, too – but before that, let’s have a sneak-peek into nightshade plants – the family to which eggplants belong.
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There has been a buzz around nightshade plants for quite some time now –
Are nightshades healthy? Let’s understand these plants better:
Nightshade vegetables include potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants – along with 2000 other plant varieties. The nightshades list also includes tobacco! These belong to the family of plants Solanaceae and are widely used in different cuisines across the world. The nightshade plants are rich in nutritional content as well. So why exactly do we need to be cautious about these plants?
Nightshade plants contain alkaloids – which are nitrogen-based substances found in the leaves and stems of these plants. Alkaloids are bitter, and their main function is to keep insects away from plants. Along with the leaves and stems, some edible portions of plants, too, contain alkaloids – and when we end up consuming these, it results in certain health disorders.
Nightshade plants lead to inflammation of the digestive tract, causing Inflammatory Bowel Disease, commonly known as IBD. For people with IBD, the protective lining of the intestine does not function. Due to this, bacteria and other harmful substances enter the bloodstream. This permeability is also known as ‘leaky gut’ and it affects thousands of people across the world.
Alkaloids are known to aggravate this condition, which is why we need to reduce the consumption of nightshade plants. Along with inflammation of the gut, these plants can also contribute to an increase in inflammation in different parts of the body. Further, nightshade plants should be avoided by people with autoimmune disorders. Those diagnosed with celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis need to be careful while consuming nightshade plants, as they could instantly aggravate these conditions.
A certain group of people is also allergic to nightshade vegetables. The symptoms may include skin rashes, itching, difficulty in breathing, and a lot more. People with such sensitivities need to completely cut out nightshade plants from their diets. Whereas the others, who do not have any underlying medical conditions, can merely choose to restrict the consumption of these plants. Completely avoiding these veggies wouldn’t make sense either, as they offer a rich blend of vitamins and minerals. Moderate consumption is the best way out, to prevent nightshades inflammation!
Now let’s hop onto the Eggplant Pizza recipe – we can definitely indulge in this one once in a while!
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants medium
- 1 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup marinara sauce or any other unsweetened tomato sauce of your liking
- 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella vegan
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/3 cups basil torned
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the ends off the eggplants and then cut into ¾-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices on the prepared baking sheets and brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the eggplant slices until nearly tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove the trays from the oven and spread 2 tablespoons marinara sauce on top of each piece. Top generously with mozzarella and arrange 3 to 5 cherry tomato pieces on top of each.
- Return the pizzas to the oven and roast until the cheese is melted and the tomatoes are blistered, 5 to 7 minutes more.
- Serve the pizzas hot, garnished with basil.
