This spring (in quarantine), we built our first garden in our backyard. If you ask my husband what we grew this year, he will say, “We grew a fence.” That part was definitely the most work! We planted seeds and hoped for the best after that job. To our delight, we had a great first year of gardening, growing mostly flowers, pumpkins, and some vegetables.
Our first harvest was 3 rows of beautiful beets! Ollie LOVED harvesting beets, pulling the big greens stems up from the ground to reveal big, purple beetroots. Of course, spraying the beets off with the hose was the most fun thing ever for a 2-yr-old! I know ALL of us were really proud of this harvest.
Roasted beets are one of my top-favorite fall foods, and in my opinion they taste SO much better with goat cheese! And don’t all delicious veggies deserve to have a go on pizza?! Try this fun take on pizza by topping it with roasted beets and creamy goat cheese.
Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Pizza
Equipment
- Half-sheet roasting pan for beets
- Pizza pan, roasting pan, or pizza stone for pizza
- Parchment paper
- Small food processor for basil vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pizza dough or store-bought dough
- 3 cups beets, peeled and cubed
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 3-4 oz fresh mozzarella, torn or sliced
- 2-3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
- 3-4 fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 small shallot
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
Prepare basil vinaigrette
- Pulse shallot and garlic clove in food processor until minced. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper and pulse once more.
- Add packed basil leaves, vinegar, and about 1 tbsp (eyeball it) olive oil to the food processor and begin blending. Add remaining oil in a small stream with the motor running. Process until basil vinaigrette is a smooth consistency, about 1-2 minutes.
Roast beets
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place diced beets on a parchment-lined roasting pan and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, or until browned.
Prepare pizza
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees with roasting pan or pizza stone inside.
- Stretch portions of dough to 8-10 inches wide on parchment paper (or cornmeal if using pizza stone and peel).
- Spread 1-2 tbsp basil vinaigrette on dough with the back of a spoon. Top evenly with beets, mozzarella, and goat cheese.
- Slide pizza on parchment paper onto hot roasting pan (be careful!) and bake until cheese is bubbly, about 8-10 minutes. Finish with a few basil leaves.