Grilled Eggplant Pizza

I have a new thing for eggplant.  I like it for sure, but it is mostly because I am trying to find some more meatless meals to incorporate into our rotation.  Not that we don't love meat, because we do.  But I am trying to buy more organic meat and that is just plain expensive, so my alternative is to get creative.  Without meat.  So I have been trying. 

I came across a roasted eggplant pizza in an Everyday with Rachael Ray issue a few months back and I wanted to try it.  However, it calls for caponata and I had to google it because I had no idea what it was.  Although I thought it sounded good--anything with an Italian flavor is good in my book.  Anyhow, I couldn't find caponata anywhere here in town.  I found it online, but that wasn't happening--I just have a problem with paying $10 for shipping for a $7 item.  Of course I also waited until the day before I planned to make the pizza, so I had to get creative without having the caponata.

I decided to take a spin off of the bruschetta I made last summer and the Hubs even liked it, no meat and all!  And the Peanut?  Well, she LOVED it and ate two pieces. 

Grilled Eggplant Pizza

1 recipe bread dough 
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1 medium size eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black olives, drained and chopped
2/3 cup green olives, drained and chopped
Mozzarella cheese
Feta cheese crumbles

Set oven to low broiler setting and move oven rack to top position.  (Alton says that grilling is just broiling upside down.  I like his logic.)

In a large bowl, drizzle chopped eggplant with a generous amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and place under the broiler and leave the oven door cracked.  Broil until eggplant has started to char and it has reduced to about half its size, rotating about half way through.  Remove from baking sheet and set aside.

Move oven rack back to the middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a bowl, mix together garlic, black and green olives and set aside. 

Press pizza dough into pizza pan or baking stone and spread pizza sauce in a thin layer on top of the dough.  Spread olive mixture and grilled eggplant evenly over the sauce and top with mozzarella cheese.  Bake about 15-20 minutes or until crust is baked through and starting to brown on the edges.  Top with feta cheese crumbles and serve immediately. 

This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Designs By Gollum Foodie Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Hearth 'n Soul Recipe Swap  
Hey What's For Dinner Mom? Just Another Meatless Monday
Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays
Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday 
My Sweet & Savory's My Meatless Mondays
Paisley Passions Fun With Food Friday 
Veggie Converter Meatless Mondays