Beet Cheddar Apple Pizza
Beet Cheddar Apple Pizza represents a glorious moment of redemption when the band geek dates the homecoming queen.
I have a deep affection for vegetables that were made fun of in middle school. Not to bring up my childhood (but to bring up my childhood), my full-forehead bangs, braces/glasses duo, and 12-year-old-boyish figure put me in the metaphorical clarinet section, not the cheerleading squad.
![“Beet](“https://www.wellplated.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Beet-Apple-and-Cheddar-Pizza.-Sweet-savory-healthy-and-delicious.jpg")
Since those days, I’ve matured. No longer an uncomfortable little nerd, I’m now a giant nerd at peace with her inner geekdom. I dropped the bangs, kept the boyish figure (or rather nature did, but I’m rolling with it), and have come to realize that what others viewed as an unattractive vegetable was actually a sweet, nutritious, and tasty pizza topping.
Oops. We’ve transitioned to talking about beets now.
I hated beets for years, mostly because the only way I’d experienced them was out of a can (still a bad choice). Little did I suspect that, when freshly sliced and layered with sweet apples, sharp white cheddar cheese, and fresh rosemary, beets would be the key ingredient in a sweet and savory pizza that even my beet-bashing husband would enjoy.
I can’t take credit for the complementary flavor magic that occurs when beets, apples, and cheddar are layered atop carbs—for that I owe Martha Stewart and my mother. Over Thanksgiving, my mom made these incredible Beet Apple and Cheddar Puff Pastry Tarts at Thanksgiving, and I simply couldn’t shove enough into my face in between all of the turkey and whiskey glazed sweet potatoes to take full advantage.
I needed the beet/apple/cheddar combo back in my life, but since the recent puff pastry intake around here has been moderately alarming (reference: Cranberry Baked Brie Puff Pastry Bites; Cheesy Mushroom Puff Pastry Bites), I wanted to find a different way to serve the ingredients. The answer: pizza.
Yes beets, you can kiss your trivia-bowl days good bye—today, you are hanging with pizza, the most popular kid in the class.
I’m beginning to suspect the universe has destined me to vindicate unpopular vegetables through pizza, and I’m not one to argue with cosmic will.
Beet Cheddar Apple Pizza joins the ranks of Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Bacon Pizza and Spicy Turkey Leek Asparagus Pizza, proving that even most suspect of veggies can be made desirable when served on top of crust with cheese.
I brushed my favorite easy weeknight whole wheat pizza crust with olive oil to make it crisp and golden. The beets, apples, and rosemary are earthy and sweet against the sharp, bubbly cheddar. This Beet Cheddar Apple Pizza is completely satisfying as a vegetarian main dish, though if you should choose to add bacon, I won’t stop you.
This recipe is also relatively quick to pull together, because none of the toppings need to be cooked prior to topping the pizza crust. A thin slicing of the beets and apples ensures they soften in the oven, a task best accomplished with a good, sharp knife, such as the WÜSTHOF ones I’m giving away as the final prize in my 12 Days of Giveaways holiday series.
If you aren’t familiar with WÜSTHOF, it’s a seventh-generation family-owned and family-run company that is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. WÜSTHOF has been manufacturing its cutlery in Solingen, German since 1814 and maintains a sharp (did you see what I did there?) focus on providing professional chefs and avid home cooks the highest quality knives. I’m delighted to be teaming up with a group of bloggers to offer one lucky reader a full WÜSTHOF CLASSIC 7-Piece Block Set, a $300 value!
To enter the giveaway: Use the widget below. Please be patient as it may take a few moments to load.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy holidays, and please save me a spot at the lunch table. I’m bringing Beet Cheddar Apple Pizza , and if you promise not to make fun of my bangs (or have chocolate), I might just share a slice.
Beet Cheddar Apple Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 Weeknight Whole Wheat Pizza Crust — or your favorite pizza dough recipe enough to yield 1 11x14-inch pizza
- Extra virgin olive oil — for brushing pizza
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 2 small sweet apples — such as Gala, Honeycrisp, or Fuji, cored and thinly sliced, peel on
- 2 small beets — scrubbed, peeled and very thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary — finely chopped
Instructions
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Prepare Weeknight Whole Wheat Pizza Crust according to recipe directions. You will only need 1 crust, so feel free to half the recipe or freeze the second half for a later time.
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Place a rack in the upper third of theoven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11x14-inch rectangle, working from the center. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, then brush the its entire surface liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, then top with apple slices. Tuck the beet slices between the apples, then top with remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle rosemary over the top.
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Bake pizza until the crust is crisp and golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 3 minutes. Slice and serve.
Did you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
Because pizza night is the best night:
- Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Bacon and Feta Pizza
- Spicy Turkey Leek Asparagus Pizza
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Peanut Butter S’mores Pizza
Thank you to WÜSTHOF for providing the prize to the giveaway winner. As always, all opinions are my own.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
About Erin Clarke
I’m fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food taste incredible. Wearer of plaid, travel enthusiast, and firmly convinced that sweets and veggies both deserve a place at the table. MORE ABOUT ERIN…
Love the way you wrote this post :)
Beets and apple- this is essentially a salad right?
anything beets! (fellow bang-wearer)
I think this sounds wonderful! What a fun post.
Love this post, Erin! Use grown up nerds can be happy that we get to eat amazing things like this PIZZA! Ahhhh! Looks great.
Okay, this pizza? Insane. I’m in love and I think I need a piece. Or 10. :) Pinned!
Sweet post about acceptance. And wonderful pizza!
Great post, and this pizza looks super-cool (I’m a beet lover)!
I love beets, but my hubby not so much. I suspect this pizza will appear on my dinner table pretty soon! Fingers-crossed that he will love it, as did your husband!
Love this combination!
Wow! What an interesting combination! Thanks for all you do and for the 12 days of Giveaways! Happy Holidays!
I <3 beets to the moon and back – but never had them with apples – such a unique twist – my tastebuds are dying to try it!
This pizza sounds fantastic. Hope I’ll find a way to try it (get my husband on board).
I’m really bummed that I cannot enter this giveaway for something I really like (I have a couple of Wusthof knives already) because I don’t do twitter, instragram, or pinterest. Not everybody who is interested in the giveaway participates in all those social media.
Hi! I wanted to let you know that we’ve added one more option to the giveaway so that you can enter by leaving a comment on the post. Feel free to go back in, complete your information, and check the box for an entry. I really appreciate your bringing this up, and it’s something I will keep in mind going forward. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Thank you Erin. I really appreciate that. I wish you a wonderful weekend, too.
Oh my goodness, this looks super yummy! Going to attempt this, fingers crossed it turns out looking this amazing!
Oh wow the color of those beets are just so beautiful! And the flavor of everything has got to be amazing! Pinned!
Hah, “vindicating unpopular vegetables through pizza” – LOVE it! Love the sweet and savory action going on here!
I seriously feel like anytime anything is served or cooked with cheese, it takes it up a notch with the yum factor. :) but I would have devoured this Beet Cheddar Apple Pizza regardless. . LOVE this so much!!! and looks SO good!! you’ve got to be proud of this one, Erin. . totally going to try this one!! and what a way to end the 12 days of giveaways. . girl, you probably need a big drink right now!!
Beets are seriously so gorgeous, I don’t even care if they aren’t my most favourite flavour. Love this!
I’m excited to make a blueberry pie.
I am excited to make some whoopie pies and my Grandma’s potato candy!
The thing I most want to make is triple ginger cookies and some mesquite cookies.
excited to make xmas cookies!!
I’m looking forward to making our family ambrosia recipe on Christmas Eve. It’s been handed down for many generations, and Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without our ambrosia!
Prime Rib as we only have it once a year..and, my grandma’s traditional southern Red Velvet Cake….other goodies too. ;)
I LOVE beets this recipe is very intriguing. thanks.
My mom’s toffee bar recipe, a holiday tradition; and raw cranberry orange relish
I’m looking forward to making donuts for the first time this year.
Thank you most sincerely for adding the blog post comment entry option. I am looking forward to crafting another Derby pie this weekend (chocolate, pecan, bourbon). Following your “boozy” recipe advice, I recently started using Bulleit for baking!
Amy, you are so welcome, and cheers! I’m having a hot toddy with Bulleit as I type :-)
So excited to spend time with my family!
I love, love, love beets! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so excited about all the time I get to spend baking this winter.
I’m excited to make my german chocolate cake.
We always have fondue for Xmas dinner. Can’t wait.
Looking forward to cook a Christmas Turkey!
Cannot wait to grill a tri-tip and greek pork chops.
The pizza looks great! Happy cooking!
I’m excited to make Ice Box Fruit Cake- like I am every year for the Holidays!
Prime rib for Christmas Dinner! Actually, the entire Christmas meal! this pizza looks scrumptious!
I’m very much excited to try to make salted bourbon caramels for the first time.
I’m planning on making figgy pudding, and I haven’t for years
My daughter and I give out baked goods to our friends and family at Christmas. When go with different ones each year. This year I think we are doing a variety of cookies so I can’t wait to start on them
This is gorgeous and such a creative combination of flavors!
I’ve always hated beets until I had it in a salad a few weeks ago and I was insanely pleased and angry at the same time that I avoided it all these years. Coincidentally it was an apple walnut salad. Must be beets are meant to be with apples and that’s the only way I will be having them!!
I can’t wait to make some pumpkin pie!
Erin! This site is fantastic and your maple roasted butternut squash freekeh salad with kale was the real deal. I look forward to trying this recipe out over the holidays!
Sausage Balls!
I love beets so I will try this but I have some dietary restrictions so I will have to make a few changes. I’m excited to make cookies with my grandsons this year.
I love all the different ways you use beets, Erin. Hope you and Ben are settling in!
I said to myself, “Are those beets?” and they were! I’m excited to try them for day after Christmas snack.
Always looking for a new way to introduce the mighty beet to non-beet eaters!
I’m excited to make my homemade biscotti this Christmas!
Beets, apples and cheese? Hmmm …. Intriguing. Looks really pretty, too.
One thing I am looking forward to cooking this holiday season is my mom’s pepper cookies around the Christmas days. Can’t wait!
I’m excited to bake cookies!
I’ll probably bake some beets, marinate them in orange juice, lots of orange zest, some olive oil (and s+p), and use them on a salad with goat cheese and pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted. I’ve never made pizza in my own oven. Is a stone or something like it crucial to a good crust? What about a peel? How do you get the pizza into the oven, onto the hot stone or whatever if the dough is soft? Your pictures show that the beets and apples stayed in place as you cooked it which made me wonder. Thanks!
Carol, beets on a salad with orange sound absolutely lovely! For the pizza, there is more detail in the recipe directions, but I don’t top the pizza until it is already on the (parchment paper lined) baking sheet. This makes sure everything stays in place. Pizza stones are great, but they are not absolutely crucial. When I use a stone, I assemble the pizza on parchment, then slide it onto the hot stone, paper and all. The pizza bakes with the parchment right underneath. Let me know if you have any other questions, and I hope you love the pizza if you try it!
I am excited to make pumpkin spiced bread
I’m excited to make gingerbread bars with cream cheese frosting
I can’t wait to make cut-out cookies!
I’m excited to make holiday cookies and cupcakes with my daughter who will be home from the university this weekend.
This season I am most excited to cook my mama’s traditional homemade stew. I’m a college student at CSU Fort Collins, CO… Love to cook and bake! This block set would be an amazing gift and gem in my kitchen!
Thanks for this opportunity! The pizza looks so good, I’m making it soon :)
Awesome idea!
Homemade cinnamon roles are always a tradition!
This looks amazing! What a great combination, I can’t wait to try it- I LOVE beets!
Rachael, if you love beets, then this is definitely the pizza for you! And the aged Cabot cheddar is SO good on it. Trust me :)
This pizza looks delicious! I’m looking forward to making the family favorite holiday cookies.
I am excited to make trifle for Christmas Eve!
This flavor combination sounds wild and adventurous! :D My early encounters with beets (similar to yours) involved trying not to gag while forcing down those cold (cold because I delayed in eating them as long as possible… (hoping they’d disappear?)) canned cubes at the dinner table. My more recent experiences have been much more hopeful, however, with my dad making a few rounds of really killer ginger-spiked borscht one winter. Enough to turn me beet-curious at least. Anyway, thanks so much for the recipe! I have no clue what it’d taste like together, so I’d love to try making it! ^^ You make it sound (and look) fabulous! For the giveaway entry, I will say I’m looking forward to making mini creme puffs filled with all sorts of different flavors for our family’s get-together. I made choux pastries for the first time last night, and today I made the same dough, eclair style……this isn’t a good pattern, is it? ;D
I’m excited to make red velvet cookies this holiday!
I am excited to make whole vegetarian pizza with vegetables and vegetarian cheese
I was excited to bake Christmas cookies…now that they’re done I’m excited to make Christmas dinner with a special ham recipe.
I made this for dinner last week. My hub liked it well enough. I loved it though!!! I will probably make this again for lunch with friends. I am sure they will appreciate it as much as I did! :) Thanks again for the great recipe Erin. :)
Kerry, I’m so so happy to hear that you liked it and want to try it again with friends! Thank you so much for taking time to let me know, and I hope you love it even more the second time.
I went to go comment here the other day, but my phone ate the submit button, so here goes take 2!
I lurv (like really LURV) this flavor combination. I never really got how awesome beets are with things until my Russian ex got me into them and the combination of cheddar and apple was the first way I was introduced so it holds such a special place in my tummy… but then you put it on a PIZZA and I am just so in lurv right now. It’s kind of a good thing I don’t have this pizza around me because I would eat the whole thing on my own!
I can’t wait to make my Slow Cooker Chicken for a small holiday dinner party.
I’m excited to make spritz cookies. They’re so pretty and delicate, and they make my cookie platter more beautiful.
Interesting combo. I like beets, but never thought of them paired with cheese. I have faith in your pairings, so why not?
I’m excited to make peppermint bark.
I would love to try the Beet Cheddar Apple Pizza or the Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Bacon Pizza. I am a huge fan of beets and brussels sprouts but always have them plain. Time to spruce things up a bit!
I think the only way I’ve had beets is beets from a can or pickled beets. Not a fan of either. But I think I could get behind fresh beets, especially if eating them on this pizza. Beautiful pizza, Erin!
Well, I really like beets so maybe I need to try this. Have not done so yet.
If you like beets, I bet you would LOVE this pizza Willa! If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think.
I am back… and completely obsessed with your blog. I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2018 (to encourage people to try meatless monday- everyone has to start somewhere) and would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?
Barbara, I am so happy to have you here! Feel free to use 1 photo (crediting wellplated.com) with the name of the recipe AND a direct link to the blog post: https://www.wellplated.com/beet-cheddar-apple-pizza/. I ask that no part of the recipe be reprinted. No need to ask again. As long as you follow these guidelines, you can include a recipe anytime you like!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! My dough was covered with just one beet, an apple and a quarter, and I only had orange cheddar cheese but it worked out just fine. Aside from the superb flavour this was really easy to pull together and for that I think it would make a great dinner party meal. I served mine with a simple cashew/avocado green salad. Scrumptious!
Gabrielle, I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed this! It’s so different and one of my favorites. Thanks for trying the recipe and reporting back!
I absolutely love your recipe! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2018 (to encourage people to try meatless monday- everyone has to start somewhere) and would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?
Hi Barbara, I’d love to be included, thank you! Please feel free to use one photo, with a direct link to the recipe. I ask that you include a direct recipe link (required), and a link to http://www.wellplated.com too. An easy way to do this is to put credit below the photo that says “by Erin Clarke of Well Plated”. I also ask that no part of the recipe ingredients or directions be reprinted. Thanks for sharing!