Beet, blue cheese and bacon pizza

Name: Beet, blue cheese and bacon pizza
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 cup white bread flour (132g); 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (70g ); 1/2 cup all purpose flour (70g plain flour); 3/4 tsp fast-acting dried yeast; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 1/2 tbsp plain yogurt (eg Greek-style); 3/4 cup water (180ml, warm); 14 oz beetroot (400g, cooked (see note below)); 2 tsp olive oil (or a little more, depending on beetroot); 8 slices smoked bacon; 4 oz blue cheese (115g, approx, crumbled); 2 handfuls arugula (rocket)

March 6, 2016 by Caroline's Cooking 34 Comments

Last month, after thinking I was doing well posting a pancake recipe on pancake day, I was having a nosey on instagram and saw it was also pizza day. While there was a bit of me sad I’d missed a trick to try to be creative and combine the two (another time, maybe), I also realized I had no pizza recipes on the site.

True, I’d not long before posted lahmacun which is a bit like pizza, but no actual pizza. Given how much we like pizza in our house, as I suspect is the case for many people with kids, it seemed wrong and so I decided I’d better get on to it.

For me, getting round to sharing this beet, blue cheese and bacon pizza less than a month later is pretty good going, and it would have been sooner if I hadn’t been saving it for today’s root vegetable-themed Sunday Supper (see more below). It’s that good, I thought it deserved to be shared with all the Sunday Supper people, though I’ve been dying to share this since I made it!

Our love of pizza

When I say we like pizza, I should be honest and say we’re a bit picky when it comes to pizza but we are spoiled locally as well. We live close to a restaurant called Area Four which has the most delicious sourdough-based pizzas.

There are also some other good local chains near places we go so there are some great options, all much better for you than your run-of-the-mill chains too. I do make pizza now and then at home, and after making this beet, blue cheese and bacon pizza we decided I really should more often as it was so delicious.

The inspiration for this beet, blue cheese and bacon pizza

It’s partly inspired by some of the seasonal pizzas Area Four have had where they use a roasted squash base – I decided to do my own take with a beet base and then things flowed from there. With some tasty smoked bacon, and I even found a smoked blue cheese, this pizza is full of amazing flavor and you won’t miss the tomatoes. Yes, it’s a bit unusual but it’s delicious too.

Despite the theme of Sunday Supper being root vegetable, I have to admit that’s the one bit I probably didn’t have enough of on this pizza. It still worked well and tasted great, but the beet puree was spread a little thin and could easily be doubled, as I have reflected in the recipe and I plan to do next time.

It’s a little odd for me being short on the root vegetable part given how much I like them – after all I sneak them in to everything from muffins and salads to ravioli and sauces. But hey, I was going with what I had at the time and it was a bit late to change once I’d started. All the more excuse to make it again, though!

How to make beet, blue cheese and bacon pizza

Yes, you need to roast the beetroot ahead of time and the dough takes time to rise, so this is not necessarily the quickest meal to throw together, but it’s not difficult and you could cheat a little too and use pre-cooked beets and pre-made pizza dough. If you do, then it is fairly quick.

Don’t skimp on the bacon – it’ s really worth having one with a good smokey flavor. The arugula and extra cheese on top might seem to be tricky to eat as they can fall off a little but they add great texture and flavor that goes really well.

This beet, blue cheese and bacon pizza has fantastic earthy flavors and a lovely mix of textures. It’s pretty easy, colorful and so delicious. While it might be unusual, it’s incredibly tasty and definitely worth a try at your next pizza night. It’s definitely on the menu for ours.

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5 from 2 votes