I got the idea for these eggplant rounds after seeing something similar on Pinterest. They sounded great, but I wanted them a little different, kind of like an eggplant pizza, with the eggplant as the "crust". Then, of course, I had to put bacon on them! Not just a little bacon, but a whole slice on each round! Yes, I know, I'm going to have to get over my bacon obsession eventually. You can leave the bacon off if you want to make them easily vegetarian. In fact, they are easily adaptable. You could dice the tomatoes instead of slicing them, use pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar and mozzarella, use a purple onion instead of scallions (I thought of how pretty that would look after I made them!).
The amount of the ingredients will vary depending on the size of the eggplant you have. Use a large one, about 10-12 inches long and 4-6 inches wide at the thickest part, and you should have enough for 4-6 people as an entree. They would also make a great first course instead of a soup or salad.
I could not convince my daughter to eat it, but she's only 4 and very picky! I think older children would like it because it's loaded with cheese. I love eggplant so for me it wasn't a question, and my husband loved it because I added the bacon 🙂 I'm sure it will come a regular around here, especially since the weather is getting nice and I'm looking for quick recipes so we can spend more time outside. These eggplant rounds are ready in around 30 minutes, and I think roasted vegetables are fabulous in the spring and summer when they are in peak.
Loaded Eggplant Rounds
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- ½ cup olive oil
- 4 roma tomatoes sliced ¼ inch thick
- 12 ounces hardwood smoked bacon
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- garlic salt
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spay a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, remove to paper toweling and blot excess grease. Break each piece in half.
- Wash and slice the eggplant into ½ inch rounds,brush both sides lightly with the olive oil, place on the baking sheet and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Carefully turn the rounds, top each round with a two slices of tomato, then a piece of bacon criss-cross over the top of the tomatoes, sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and eggplant is soft. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Gail says
Guess I’m lucky. My partner has no idea what eggplant (and other vegetables)is. If it isn’t iceberg lettuce it doesn’t exist. My mother always told us that a colorful meal is a healthy meal. His Mom said pasta, rice and potatoes were fine together.
Becca from ItsYummi! says
I can't even fathom how awesome these must taste! Brian's not an eggplant lover, so I'll have to make them all for myself. What a shame.. NOT 🙂
Kristin @ Dizzy Busy and Hungry! says
Love your adaptation and your pictures! Glad you guys all enjoyed it (aside from the picky eater...I have one too so I totally understand LOL!)
Bernadette says
Thanks Kristin!!