Pesto & Crispy Aubergine Frying Pan Pizza

This pesto pizza is AMAZING! Crispy bottom, fluffy dough, crispy aubergines, amazing pesto and easy tomato sauce.
Pesto crispy aubergine frying pan pizza x px red

I might be so bold as to say that this is probably the best pizza I’ve eaten for a LONG time—and I really love pizza.

With a crispy bottom, fluffy dough, crispy aubergines, incredible pesto and easy tomato sauce.

The flavour combination is stunning.

Cooking the base in a pan means a crispy bottom every time, and cooking is super quick.

Some other toppings I love; lots of roast veg, mushrooms and truffle oil, vegan cream cheese and rocket, and roast cherry tomatoes and olives.

I hope you love this as much as I do!

Much love, Niki xxx

Pesto & crispy aubergine frying pan pizza
Pesto & crispy aubergine frying pan pizza

The Recipe

Pesto & crispy aubergine frying pan pizza

Pesto & Crispy Aubergine Frying Pan Pizza

This pizza is AMAZING! Crispy bottom, fluffy dough, crispy aubergines, amazing pesto and easy tomato sauce.
Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
2 servings
4.67 from 3 votes

Ingredients

To make the dough

  • 230 g white plain flour
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • 3½ g quick yeast
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 175 g lukewarm water

    Mix together—leave for a few minutes

For the tomato sauce

  • 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp passata

Pesto layer

  • 100 g pine nuts toasted rinsed
  • 60 g basil
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ juice lemon
  • 50 ml water

For the aubergine

  • 1 sliced aubergine
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

To make the dough

  • Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl—mix well.
  • Mix the yeast, sugar, in the olive oil with the lukewarm water.
  • Bring together until you have a dough. Tip the dough onto a well floured chopping board. Knead for a few minutes until the dough is springy. Add more flour if needed.
  • Add back to the bowl and cover with a damp cloth for about a hr.

For the aubergine

  • Fry the aubergine in a pan for a few minutes on each side with the oil until crispy. Set aside.

To make the pesto

  • Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz to combine.

To make the tomato sauce

  • Mix the passata & tomato paste together.

To make the pizzas

  • Transfer back onto the floured chopping board and knead again.
  • Divide into two and roll out.
  • Pre-heat a frying pan.
  • Place one of the pizza bases into the pan and push to the sides if needed.
  • Now add half the tomato topping, pesto, veg and plant based cheese.
  • Cook on medium until the dough fluffs up and becomes a little crispy on the bottom—approx 5–6 minutes.
  • Pre-heat your grill
  • Now transfer the pan to under and cook for approx 5 minutes until the toppings are cooked, and the pizza base sides are a little brown.
  • Repeat with the next pizza.
Print Recipe

I'd love to hear your comments…

  • marion
    9 months ago Reply

    4 stars
    I used the dough recipe to make my 1st pan pizza and it turned nice. I had to add a lot of extra flour though so i could knead it.
    I wouldn’t call it a oan pizza because you need to grill it in the oven but i will redo because mine just sucks and i had better results this way

  • Amanda
    10 months ago Reply

    5 stars
    Fabulous- worked really well. Was a little unsure what the base would be like, but it was crispy & delicious. Topped with mushrooms, onions & pesto – thumbs up from everyone here.

Let me know what you think below…

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