For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a foodie. I can still taste my Nana’s lemon sponge cake at Thanksgiving, my mom’s baked ziti, and the cheese pizza from our local pizza place in New Rochelle, NY, which, by the way, cost just 25 cents a slice back in the 60s and 70s! Fast forward to today and things are clearly more expensive, but they’re also much more varied. Take that slice of cheese pizza for example. Back “in the day,” I never would have imagined a pizza topped with goat cheese, pistachios, honey, and red onions, but that’s exactly what I had last weekend while visiting my family, who now lives in CT.
Josh was home from the University of Delaware for spring break, so we went down to Westport to visit my mom and dad. My mom and I grabbed lunch at Mario Batali’s restaurant, Tarry Lodge, and I ordered a goat cheese, pistachio, honey, and red onion pizza. And no, I did not eat the whole thing! I decided to recreate that same pizza once I got home … so here goes.
I never would have thought of putting nutritious pistachios on a pizza, but if Mario did it, so can I!
So pretty. To add another veggie to this pie, you could top it with lightly dressed arugula, diced avocado, or roasted cubes of butternut squash.
What are your favorite pizza toppings? I asked my Facebook fans that very question and heard all sorts of suggestions including Brussels sprouts and bacon, caramelized onions and a purée of cannellini beans with olive oil, garlic, and oregano, and a Greek-inspired pizza with olive tapenade, feta, tomatoes, onions, mozzarella, and topped with fresh spinach, cucumbers, and a drizzle of Greek dressing.
- Serves: 2 pizzas
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 340
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated fat: 4.5g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Sodium: 750mg
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 11g
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- ½ red onion, cut into very thin half-moon slices
- One 16-ounce pizza dough, brought to room temperature
- ½ cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup shelled roasted, lightly salted pistachios, roughly chopped
- A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed, optional
- 4 ounces goat cheese, broken up into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it caramelizes and is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Lightly oil or spray two small baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Divide the dough in half and place on each of the baking sheets. Top each dough ball with ½ teaspoon oil. Use your fingers and the heel of your hands to gently stretch and flatten each dough ball until it covers most of the baking sheet, measuring about 12 x 7 inches. The dough should be thin and the shape can be oval, round, or just plain ol’ rustic.
- Spread ¼ cup Cheddar cheese evenly over each of the pizzas. Top evenly with the red onion, pistachios, thyme as desired, and goat cheese, and then drizzle evenly with the honey. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake until the bottoms are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly, 12 to 15 minutes. (Depending on the size of your baking sheets, you may need to cook the pizzas one at a time.) Slice and serve.
Liz, this looks so amazing. My kind of yumminess. Add this to the menu for Nantucket4000 🙂
Thanks Regan. Great idea for Nantucket4000!