Tabbouleh eggplant chickpea pizza

Shake up your pizza game with this Lebanese-style version.

The toppings are easy and fun to assemble: spread some garlic sauce, hummus, tahini or baba ghanoush (I picked a roasted garlic and onion hummus), and use whole chickpeas or crumble up some spicy falafels (below).

The tabbouleh, with herbs, tomatoes, bulghur wheat and olive oil, brings freshness and texture. Add a hit of sweet and tangy with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 to 35 minutes
Total time: 45 to 50 minutes
Yield: 1 medium pizza

Ingredients

raw pizza dough (look in the bakery or pizza section of your grocery store)
2 cups tabbouleh, homemade or store bought
1 small eggplant
chickpeas or falafels
pine nuts
garlic sauce or hummus or tahini or baba ghanoush
optional: balsamic reduction

Prepare the eggplant

1. Cut the eggplant into thin slices and place them in a baking tray.
2. Salt the eggplant in a few drops of olive oil and let it sit for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and roast the eggplant for 15 minutes.

While the eggplant is roasting, prepare the pizza

1. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large cutting board or flat surface. Sprinkle some flour on the paper and your hands.
2. Place the raw pizza dough on the parchment paper. With a rolling pin or empty wine bottle, roll from the middle outwards until the dough is flat and thin.
3. Take the eggplant out of the oven.
4. Spread the pizza sauce, roasted eggplant, tabbouleh, chickpeas and pine nuts on top.
5. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes.