A Healtier Pizza Alternative

Steven is from Chicago so that means pizza is a staple of his diet!

I enjoy pizza with vegetables so when I found this recipe at http://www.hobbyfarms.com I was pretty excited. Steven liked it, too. Since he does not care for goat or feta cheeses I used mozzarella and it was fine. Also, I did not have any fresh herbs so I used dried.

Using roasted tomatoes instead of tomato sauce cut down on the acid. I used a boboli thin crust, so when we finished eating I still felt "light" instead of the heaviness I usually feel with pizza.

Enjoy!


Ingredients

12- to 14-inch pizza crust, unbaked
1 small or one-half large eggplant
1 small Italian squash or zucchini½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup white onion, chopped
2 T. olive oil
3 to 4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/8-inch thick1 T. chopped fresh garlic
4 T. combined chopped fresh oregano, basil and rosemary
½ tsp. salt
2 oz. goat cheese
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
PreparationPreheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Peel and remove ends from eggplant. Cut into 1-inch-square cubes.
Toss with 1 tablespoon salt, and set aside to let the salt draw out the liquid. After 30 minutes, drain off liquid and squeeze eggplant chunks dry.
Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients.
For the Italian squash, remove ends, slice in half lengthwise, then slice halves in 1/8-inch slices. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed skillet.
Add eggplant, Italian squash, pepper and onion;
sauté just until vegetables begin to soften.
Set aside.
Arrange the sliced tomatoes in a single layer on the crust.
Sprinkle with garlic, herbs, and salt.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until tomatoes are soft.
Lightly mash tomatoes with a fork, then top with sautéed vegetables and goat and feta cheeses. Bake until cheese is lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.