• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a pizza stone on the rack and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Preheat for 45 to 60 minutes to allow the stone to absorb as much heat as possible.

For the roasted eggplant

• Put the diced eggplant, chickpeas, and onion in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, a generous pinch of salt, and dried oregano. Toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven, setting it over the pizza stone, and roast for 15 minutes or until the eggplant is tender, the chickpeas golden brown, and the onion translucent. Set aside to let cool and keep the oven on.

For the tahini spread

• Combine all the ingredients in a mini food-processor. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water, 1 tsp (5 ml) at a time, until you reach a spreadable consistency.

Roll out the pizza dough

• Sprinkle a clean, working surface and one of the balls of pizza dough with flour. Roll out the dough in a very thin, large rectangle with rounded corners.
• Cut out a piece of parchment paper large enough to hold the pizza crust. Fold the crust in half and transfer to the parchment paper (the paper will make it easier to transfer the pizza to the oven, as the thinness of the crust would make it virtually impossible to slide the pizza off onto the stone). Cover the crust with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Assemble and bake the pizza

• Slather the tahini spread all over the pizza crust. Sprinkle with the mozzarella, then scatter the eggplant and onion mixture all over. Garnish with the feta and za’atar. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake the pizza for about 10 minutes, or until the edges crisp up and the cheese is melted. Garnish with a generous sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately.
• Recipe Credit: Adapted from Sara Forte, Sprouted Kitchen.