Beet Pesto Pizza with Goat Cheese and Kale
Step up your pizza game with this Beet Pesto Pizza with Goat Cheese and Kale, a decadent yet healthy pizza that’s packed with nutritious flavor.
What better way to learn to like a less-than-liked vegetable than by pairing it with a food you love? That’s right, friends, beets and pizza are joining forces today!
So after a bit of trial and error (and a magenta mess that left my kitchen looking like a beet crime scene) I arrived at this tasty beet pesto base on which to pile loads of cheese and kale!
How to Make Beet Pesto
This beet pesto, guys. It’s creamy. It’s nutty. And most amazing of all, it’s not earthy. It doesn’t taste like dirt! This pesto recipe manages to remove that signature beet taste, transforming it into a pesto you could put on pasta or paninis or…whatever really! Today, we’ll stick with pizza.
The signature to removing that earthy flavor is to roast the beets. Chop off the top and bottom, peel off the outer layer with a vegetable peeler, then chop the beets into cubes. Place on aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, then create an enclosed aluminum foil pouch and bake until tender.
Once our beets are cooked and tender, throw them in a food processor or blender with some garlic, walnuts, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and salt. Puree until it’s as smooth as possible, then slowly pour in olive oil, blending as your pour, to create a creamy dream-colored pesto.
Get yourself some pizza dough (I would, of course, highly recommend the Easy Peasy Pizza Dough). Spread the beet pesto over the dough, leaving about an inch around the edges. This should be a pretty thin layer of pesto, and you may have some leftover depending on the size of your pizza dough.
Then you’ll layer on your greens and cheese! Even though this is a goat cheese pizza, we’re going to lay down a solid mozzarella base first. Then throw on a few dollops of goat cheese which will melt into perfect goat cheese morsel perfection. Bake to golden perfection and devour!
More favorite homemade pizza recipes
- Asparagus Pizza with Burrata and Arugula
- Autumn Pear Pizza
- Beer Caramelized Onion and Brussels Sprout Pizza
- Goat Cheese and Mushroom White Sauce Pizza
- Three Cheese Roasted Grape Pizza
Beet Pesto Pizza with Goat Cheese and Kale
INGREDIENTS
Beet Pesto
- 2 large red beets
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup walnuts 75 g
- 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese 75 g
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice 30 mL
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil + 1 Tbsp for roasting 75 mL
Everything Else
- 1 pizza dough click for easy homemade recipe
- 2 cups kale
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese 200 g
- 2 oz goat cheese 60 g
INSTRUCTIONS
- Roast Beets: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Trim, peel, and chop beets into 1/2 inch cubes. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil and place on aluminum foil, fashioning it into a sealed pouch. Cook for 30 minutes, or until tender.
- Beet Pesto: Puree roasted beets, garlic, walnuts, parmesan, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor. Slowly pour in 1/4 cup olive oil, blending as you pour.
- Assemble: Spread a thin layer of beet pesto over pizza dough (you may have leftover pesto). Layer on kale, sprinkle on mozzarella, then add dollops of goat cheese.
- Bake: Increase temperature to 475 degrees F (246 C). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.
NUTRITION
Great Recipe!!
I have severe nut and legume allergies. Is there a substitution I can use for the walnuts in the beet pesto?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Emily! While I haven’t tried it, I’ve seen many pesto recipes using sunflower seeds. This could be a tasty substitute to try! I’ve also flat out forgot to include nuts in many pestos before while making dinner, and while they’re not quite as creamy, they’re still tasty. So worst case, you could just try omitting the nuts 🙂 Would love to hear how it turns out for you!