For the Eggplant

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Slice the eggplant into ¼-½-inch thick rounds.
3. Place in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet
4. Drizzle each slice with olive oil and rub it in with your fingers.
5. Season the slices with salt and pepper.
6. Flip the slices and repeat with the oil, salt, and pepper.
7. Roast for 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove the tray from the oven, flip the slices, and roast for another 15-20 minutes (the final cooking time depends on the thickness of your slices; you want them to be a deep golden brown, but not burnt or crunchy).
9. Set the pan of eggplant aside to cool. Keep the oven on.

For the Sauce

1. From the 12 ounces of tomatoes, remove 4, place them in a small bowl and set it aside (you’ll slice these and put them on top of the eggplant rounds later).
2. Add the olive oil and chopped garlic to a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat.
3. Cook the garlic, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes .
4. Add the remaining tomatoes, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes.
5. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
6. Turn the heat up to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato split open and cook down into a thick sauce (6-10 minutes, depending on the size of your tomatoes).
7. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

For the Pastry

1. Roll your puff pastry into any shape that’s about a ½-inch thick.
2. Using a 4-inch round cookie cutter or some round object that’s bigger than your eggplant slices, cut out circles from the pastry. With any scraps, just pinch them together at the seams and roll them gently with a rolling pin to merge, then cut more circles).
3. Using a 3-3.5-inch cookie cutter or a circular object that’s slightly smaller than your other one, gently press a smaller circle into each round, being careful not to push all the way through the dough. You can also just use the tip of a knife to cut a circle-ish shape on the insides of the rounds to make an outer edge.
4. Place the rounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a fork, poke each round gently a few times.
5. Bake for 10 minutes (the pastry will not be all the way cooked through, that’s okay).

For Assembly

1. Slice reserved tomatoes into 2-3 slices each (whatever you can manage with your size of tomatoes).
2. Spread the sauce on each pastry round, leaving a tiny border on the edges.
3. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top of the sauce layer of each pastry.
4. Place one slice of eggplant on top of the cheese layer
5. Top the eggplant with one basil leaf and one slice of tomato in the center.
6. Place the pastries on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place a sheet of foil loosely on top of them (no need to secure it, it’s just to keep the eggplant from burning).
7. Bake at 425 F for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 5-ish minutes (the edges of the pastry should be super golden, but you don’t want the already-baked eggplant to burn). That’s it!