Gluten Free Aubergine and Pancetta Individual Pizzas

Roasted aubergine rounds are topped with crispy pancetta and spring onions in a healthier approach to pizza!

Feeds 2 adults; 1 toddler

When we were dating, my husband introduced me to aubergines. Back then, on my very first trip to England, I only knew this strange, deep purple fruit (yes, aubergine is a fruit!) as eggplant. Before then, I had come across it in dishes and had pushed it to the side, not so keen on the odd, porous, squidgy texture. Now? Well, now I'm an aubergine convert!

I came across Kristin's loaded eggplant rounds dish over on Tasty Tuesdays a few weeks ago and immediately fell in love. It looked like a stunning, easy-to-prepare weeknight meal. With a few tweaks, we gave it a go and were completely impressed. Even Callum had a whole little pizza! I thought for sure he'd leave the fleshy eggplant or its thick skin, opting for the pancetta and gooey cheese, but he ate the lot. And had half of another!

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Ingredients:

For the Aubergine & Pancetta Individual Pizzas
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 medium aubergines (eggplants)
4 cups diced pancetta
4 spring onions, sliced
mozzarella cheese to taste
olive oil spray
salt

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Instructions:

Aubergine and Pancetta Individual Pizzas

1. Preheat your oven to 220C/425F
2. Wash and top and tail your aubergines, then slice them into rounds.
3. If your aubergine contains lots of brown seeds, salt both sides of the slices and allow to sit until the liquid comes to the surface, about 10 minutes. Pat dry.
4. Spray both sides of the aubergine with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder and a pinch of salt.
5. Bake 25 minutes until brown and crispy.
6. Meanwhile, fry the diced pancetta until cooked through.
7. Top the aubergine slices with cheese, pancetta and spring onions.
8. Place the newly topped aubergine slices back into the oven for 3 to 5 minutes while the cheese melts. 
9. Serve with a pea shoot and salted tomato salad.