The goat cheese on this pizza. Have you ever baked goat cheese? Something magical – nay, fantastical – happens to goat cheese in the oven. It gets an outer layer of crisp and becomes bombastic on the inside. There are no words to describe the magnanimity that is baked goat cheese. Baked goat cheese should happen in abundance, and it should happen on your pizza.
Print
Beet Pesto Pizza with Kale and Goat Cheese
- Total Time: 105 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Description
Creamy beet pesto, peppery kale, and tangy goat cheese make this pizza a winner. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lbs (454 g) gluten-free pizza dough
- 1 cups (237 ml) beet pesto
- 2 cups (473 ml) kale leaves, thinly sliced
- 1.5 cups (355 ml) mozzarella cheese, grated
- 2 ounces (57 g) goat cheese
- 1 cups (237 ml) red beets, chopped and roasted
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 0.5 cups (118 ml) walnuts, roasted
- 0.5 cups (118 ml) parmesan cheese, grated
- 0.5 cups (118 ml) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Wash, scrub, and pat dry the beet. Chop into ½” cubes and wrap in foil.
- Place the foil packet on a baking sheet and roast for 50 minutes, or until soft and juices are seeping out.
- Allow beets to cool completely.
- Add all ingredients except oil to a food processor, pulse several times, then slowly add olive oil while processing until well combined. Add water if needed to reach desired consistency.
- Prepare the beet pesto and pizza dough.
- Preheat oven to 415°F (213°C).
- Dust a baking sheet with gluten-free flour or cornmeal, then press or roll out the pizza dough.
- Bake the dough for 5-7 minutes without toppings.
- Remove crust from oven, spread with beet pesto, then add kale, goat cheese, and mozzarella.
- Bake pizza for 20-25 minutes, or until desired crispness is reached.
- Allow pizza to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- For a smoother pesto, remove the skins from the roasted beets before processing.
- If you don’t have goat cheese, feta cheese makes a delicious substitute.
- To make ahead, prepare the beet pesto up to 2 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Oven-Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 600
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 15
- Cholesterol: 30
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use store-bought pizza dough for the beet pesto pizza?
Yes, store-bought dough works fine. Just let it come to room temperature before stretching so it does not spring back. 
Does the beet pesto need to be cooked before going on the pizza?
No. The beet pesto is spread raw onto the dough and cooks in the oven along with the kale and goat cheese. It will deepen in flavor as it bakes.
Will the kale burn before the pizza is done?
Tear the kale into smaller pieces and toss them lightly with oil before adding them. This helps them crisp up at the edges without scorching while the crust finishes baking.
This has honestly become my favorite meal, thank you SO much for sharing!
This is amazing. I don’t like beets, this is part of my bid to change that. I used good quality vegan cheese, but a premade (uncooked, in a bag) crust for convenience. It is awesome!
Just made this tonight and it was fantastic! It was so easy and a great way to use some garden beets. I used regular pizza dough and didn’t cook before I added the toppings. Just added it on the raw dough and bakes for 20 mins. Thanks for this great idea.
Beets and goat cheese! How could this not be good! Going to give it a try. Thanks so much!
This pizza looks wonderful!
Every thing look good