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.
Since those days, Iโve matured.
No longer an uncomfortable little nerd, Iโm now a giant nerd at peace with her inner geekdom. I dropped the bangs, kept the boyish figure (or rather nature did, but Iโm 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. Weโve transitioned to talking about beets now.
I hated beets for years, mostly because the only way Iโd 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 (he even enjoys Beet Salad now too!).
I canโt take credit for the complementary flavor magic that occurs when beets, apples, and cheddar are layered atop carbsโfor 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 couldnโt shove enough into my face in between all of the turkey and sides 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 byeโtoday, you are hanging with pizza, the most popular kid in the class.
Iโm 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 Dough 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 wonโt stop you.
This recipeย 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.
Happy holidays, and please save me a spot at the lunch table. Iโm 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
- 1ย Whole Wheat Pizza Doughย or your favorite pizza dough recipe enough to yield 1 11×14-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
- Prepare Whole Wheat Pizza Dough 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.
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven 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 11×14-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.
- Bake pizza until the crust is crisp and golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 3 minutes. Slice and serve.
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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!ย
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!