Easy Cheddar Cheese Pizza Recipe with Eggplant & Peppers
An easy homemade Cheddar Cheese Pizza loaded with melty Cabot cheddar, roasted eggplant, bell peppers, and fresh herbs. Healthyish and delicious!
I was provided with free samples of Cabot reduced-fat cheddar cheese to create this post for a recipe contest. I was not compensated for this post. As always, I only recommend brands I personally use and like.
Calling all cheddar cheese lovers! And pizza lovers! This Cheddar Cheese Pizza, topped with veggies and fresh herbs, is your new favorite healthyish pizza. If you use a pre-made pizza crust (gluten-free for me), it’s super easy to make. You’ll need a few simple ingredients plus 10 minutes prep time, and dinner is served!
I use Cabot cheddar here. If you want the fullest, most classic cheddar flavor and melt, go with Cabot’s full-fat sharp or extra sharp cheddar. If you’d rather lighten things up a bit without losing that sharp, tangy bite, Cabot’s Lite50 Sharp Cheddar is a 50% reduced-fat option that still melts well and holds its flavor, so you don’t end up with a bland, rubbery pizza. Either one works here. It just depends on what you’re looking for that night.
Why You’ll Love Cheddar Cheese Pizza
Gather Your Ingredients
Cheddar cheese: This is the star, so don’t skimp. Shred your own block cheese rather than using pre-shredded bags if you can. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking starches that can keep it from melting as smoothly.
- Full-fat option: Cabot Sharp or Extra Sharp Cheddar, for the most classic, full-flavored pizza.
- Lighter option: Cabot Lite50 Sharp Cheddar, a 50% reduced-fat cheddar that still melts well and keeps a real sharp cheddar flavor, not a watered-down one.
Eggplant: I used Chinese eggplant. It’s slimmer, less seedy, and a bit milder than regular (Italian) eggplant, but both work well. Broiling it briefly before it goes on the pizza keeps it from getting watery.
Bell peppers: Red or orange (or a mix) add natural sweetness that plays well against the sharpness of the cheddar.
Crust: Use a pre-made gluten-free crust like Udi’s, your own favorite regular crust, or a homemade dough. Whatever you have on hand works. Check out this post: Salad Pizza, for links to my favorite gluten-free pizza crusts.
Fresh herbs: Thyme, oregano, and basil, added after baking so they stay bright instead of wilting under the oven heat. You are welcome to use dried herbs too. And, optional crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat.
How to Make Cheddar Cheese Pizza
- Broil the eggplant. Slice into 1/8-inch rounds, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and broil about 3 minutes per side, until softened and lightly browned at the edges.
- Build the base. Spread tomato sauce over each crust, then cover generously with shredded cheddar. This is the layer that matters most, so don’t be shy with it.
- Add the veggies. Top with the broiled eggplant and sliced bell peppers.
- Bake. At 400°F, until the cheddar is fully melted and the crust is as crisp as you like it, usually 8 to 10 minutes.
- Finish and serve. Top with fresh herbs and a pinch of crushed red pepper if you like a little heat. Slice and serve warm.
Recipe Tips
- Broiling the eggplant first is what keeps this pizza from turning soggy. Don’t skip that step.
- If you’re using Cabot Lite50 Sharp Cheddar, a slightly longer bake time helps it brown and bubble the way full-fat cheddar does straight away.
- Leftover slices reheat well in a hot oven or air fryer for a few minutes. Using a microwave softens the crust.
Your FAQs Answered
Cheddar Cheese Pizza with Roasted Eggplant & Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced in to 1/8 inch rounds
- Extra virgin olive oil, as needed to drizzle on eggplant slices
- Sea salt to taste
- 2 pre-made gluten free pizza crusts, or your own favorite pizza crust recipe
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce, or marinara sauce
- 12 ounces reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 bell pepper, sliced in to 1/8 inch rounds
- 1 tablespoon each fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
- tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
- Crushed red pepper flakes, optional, to taste
Instructions
- Turn on the broiler. Place eggplant slices on a foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. Broil 3 minutes, flip, and broil 3 more minutes.
- While the eggplant broils, slice the bell pepper. Spread 1/4 cup tomato sauce over each crust, then top each with 6 ounces of the shredded cheddar.
- Remove eggplant from oven and turn heat to 400°F. Divide the eggplant and bell pepper slices between the two pizzas. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheddar is melted and the crust is as crisp as you like.
- Let cool slightly, top with fresh herbs and crushed red pepper if using, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your site.
It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant
for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme?
Fantastic work!
Those veggies look amazing! No wonder this recipe is a winner. 🙂
loved it !
Beautiful looking pizza with lovely ingredients. I really like/agree with your food philosophy also.
I love those baby eggplants too! We call them Japanese eggplant here or baby eggplant. They’re much sweeter and more tender than the larger variety.
Thanks for your kind comment on my blog recently 🙂
Sounds delicious. Love the eggplant/ pepper combo. Good luck in the contest. Your photos are gorgeous!
This looks SOOOO good! I really need to try this. I love all the colors. I also really have to laugh because I love all eggplants, and this is of course the variety that I have access to the most in Japan. Actually, it’s the Japanese eggplants we get more often (they are thinner and shorter), but I have seen the Chinese versions too. I have seen all kinds actually over here in Japan. I love to play in the produce section at the local grocery stores.
oh wow, for once I think I’m actually at a loss for words to describe how gorgeous and delicious this looks! seriously…wow!
I hear a lot about Cabot cheeses, and Earth Balance spread, and feel very left out! To my knowledge we here in the UK don’t have a tasty, melting equivalent to 50% Reduced-fat Cabot, so rather than waste calories on something I don’t like (or whose texture I abhor) I do as you say and just have the full fat one and eat less. If cheese, or anything else, has a strong taste, a true taste, we are usually satisfied with less. Well, that’s true in principle at least… Great photos as usual. Thanks for sharing this and the other links too. I am soon going to post a very crazy pizza base recipe (g-f) and I look forward to your opinion on it. It passed the teenager test so I hope I am on to something 😀
Thanks for all the pizza love 🙂 Wish I could share a slice with everyone now!
I LOVE cheese!!!! I have not had the cabot although I have heard of it! This pizza looks AMAZING!! You are a CREATIVE genesis, where did you come up with these amazing recipes?? I have never heard of this eggplant! Beautiful!!! FABU post!!!
EA, i love broiling eggplants! and pizza topped with white cheddar sounds divine!!! what a delicious pizza. my sister would love this. what brand of GF pizza crust do you use?
I use Udi’sgluten-free crusts which are in the frozen section at the grocery store. I like them because they are thin, and if you cook them directly on the oven rack, they get nice and crispy 🙂
This pizza looks absolutely gorgeous!!!
i love how u used eggplant here… Beautiful flavors….
Looks awesome. I said this last time, but I really need to join this recipe ReDux- such a fun idea! Looking into it today. 🙂
Yum- this pizza looks delicious!!
great pizza love this type of eggplant and in Indian stores they have little round ones even in white 🙂
I love CAbot’s reduced fat cheeses!! I have to try making this pizza because I’ve never thought to use their cheese on pizza (I’m not sure why…). It would definitely make it a bit lighter! I try to sample Cabot products at work and all the cheese people make fun of me because they say the reduced fat cheese “isn’t real cheese”….but I beg to differ. It’s not only lower in fat but it melts well and taste great!
This looks incredible!
Love the use of chinese eggplant! I have never tried it before either. Now I need to!
this pizza looks delicious and so colorful… great job, as always, friend!
So lovely! I don’t think I’ve ever used Chinese eggplant before either, come to think of it. And you say it’s less bitter… interesting. Probably need to move this one to the top of the “to make” list 😉
Oh gorgeous pizza, come to me! I’ve never met a pizza I didn’t like and can’t wait to try your combo with the Chinese eggplant which I’ve had in restaurants but never have cooked. Love all the pretty herbs too.
I LOVE cheese!!!! I usually eat regular cheese because I prefer the taste and texture, but this sounds very good. And your pizza looks & sounds fabulous! Beautiful photos!!!