About this blog

I love to cook. But I want to make dishes that are lower in calories than those I was used to eating. To make dishes that are still flavorful and satisfying, I strip down dishes to their "essential flavors". These are the key ingredients that provide the flavors we love so much about a dish. I then recreate the dish with just those components. The result is low calorie dishes you'll love to eat!

Feed Hungry Super Bowl Fans Mini Eggplant Pizza Appetizers

Mini Eggplant Pizza Appetizer Recipe
Every February, millions of Americans get together to watch the Super Bowl. Many host or attend parties, gather around big screen TVs, and eat and drink too much. Buffet tables are filled with dishes like cheesy nachos, pepperoni pizzas, and sweet saucy chicken wings. Below is a recipe for mini eggplant pizzas that you can add to the menu to offer a healthier option to the buffet table. Eggplant provides a low calorie, carb-free base. Sweet marinara sauce and oregano provide a classic pizza flavor. These appetizers will satisfy even the hungriest fans.

Serving Size: 1 mini pizza
Number of servings: 12
Calories per serving: 18
Ingredients Calories
1 medium eggplant (approx. 400 grams)
100
¼ cup jarred marinara sauce
28
¼ cup low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
80
2 tsp dried oregano
5
Salt
0
Mini Eggplant Pizza Appetizer Ingredients
Set the oven to Broil. Cut the eggplant into ½ inch discs. Place eggplant slices on a foil lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until golden brown (approximately 5-10 minutes). Turn over the eggplant slices and bake until the other side is golden brown. Remove the eggplant slices from the oven. Salt the eggplant slices.

Top each eggplant slice with 1 teaspoon of marinara sauce, a sprinkling of oregano and 1 teaspoon of shredded cheese. Place the eggplant slices back in the oven and bake until the cheese has melted and starts to brown (approximately 3-5 minutes). Remove the mini pizzas from the oven.

Arrange the mini pizzas on a serving plate. Serve.
Barbara's Tips
In this recipe, low fat cheese works just as well as whole milk cheese. When the cheese is melted you can’t tell the difference.

Choose an eggplant that is long and thin. It makes for more uniform, bite-sized pizzas.

Essential Flavors
Marinara Sauce Marinara Sauce: is an Italian sauce that originated in Naples. It is usually made with tomatoes, garlic, herbs and onions. This sauce is widely used in Italian American cuisine and is a classic red sauce for pizza.

Oregano Oregano: is an herb used for the flavor of its leaves which has an aromatic, warm and slightly bitter taste. It is more flavorful when dried than fresh. Oregano is a staple herb in Italian American cuisine and is a classic herb in pizza sauce.

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