Eggplant Pizza Pinwheels Recipe
Eventually, a baby can start eating regular food. Sometimes, once he reaches that milestone, there's no turning back to that mushy stuff.
When our youngest reached this point, he loved self-feeding, but also loved being able to eat exactly what the rest of the family was eating.
This can make planning meals the entire family- even the utensil-challenged- can eat a little difficult. Eggplant Pizza Pinwheels was an idea I had while trying to find more meals that would keep the baby from having a mini tantrum at dinner. As a plus, the bite-size portions interested the older kids.
I had tried the Julia Child Eggplant Pizzas that were making the rounds on Pinterest, but it was too much eggplant for the kids, and not as easy for the baby to pick up and eat. These pinwheels are basically a brainstorm from her starting point.
This recipe makes 12-14 pinwheels, but we double it for our family of five. In fact, we use different fillings- extra cheese, pepperoni- for the second batch, as we would for a second pizza.
Ingredients
- Refrigerated Thin Crust Pizza Dough
- dusting of Flour
- 1 cup Ricotta Cheese
- 1 bag Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/2 Eggplant, diced
- 2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- a few leaves of Lettuce
Instructions
- Place diced eggplant in a small frying pan with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally and allowing the oil to coat the eggplant.
- Meanwhile, flatten out the pizza dough on a sheet of parchment paper dusted with flour. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta and half the mozzarella. Slather the mixture over the dough, leaving about an inch of the dough clean.
- Once the eggplant starts to brown, remove it from the heat and place on a paper-towel lined plate to drain the excess oil. Then, spoon the eggplant evenly over the cheese mixture. Rip a few leaves of lettuce into small pieces and sprinkle on top. Toss the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top.
- Tightly roll the dough, leaving the topping-less inch for last. Wrap the parchment around the roll, then wrap aluminum foil around it. Chill in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unwrap foil and paper from around the roll, then cut into half-inch slices. Place each slice (cut side down) on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between each slice. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow the pinwheels to cool slightly (about 5 minutes) before serving. May be served with marinara sauce for dipping.
Cook Time
See also:
- Strawberry Hazelnut Smoothie
If the same old smoothie is getting a little blah, try this variation with a little hazelnut spread inside... - South of the Border Burger
Kick your burger up a notch with this taco-inspired recipe. - What to do with all those apples
While a bushel and a peck sounds cute, it's a lot of apples. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of apples your family hauled off the farm, here's some ideas to help get rid of those apples.
© 2015 Samantha Sinclair
