Goat Cheese & Pear Pizza With Caramelized Onions
Ah Pizza…So many delicious options! With the fall weather upon us, and winter fruit in season, I thought it only fitting to create a fall pizza recipe. This goat cheese & pear pizza with caramelized onions is topped with golden roasted garlic cloves and the flavors are a match made in heaven!
I am such a fan of goat cheese, so a goat cheese pizza made perfect sense. When goat cheese is combined with the mellow sweetness of pears, then I feel like the true essence of fall has been reached and I just need a cozy fireplace to go with it.
Can I Use Any Crust For This Recipe?
This recipe is for the topped pizza itself so you can choose whichever crust is your favorite. I have included my favorite gluten free pizza crust recipe that I use for ours. I have tried this pizza on multiple types of crust and it seems to be just as delicious on all of them! My recipe makes a 12-14” crust so the ingredient amounts will work for a pizza around that size.
How Long Does This Recipe Take?
The actual topping and cooking this for pizza only takes about 20 minutes if you have your toppings ready. The garlic and onions take a bit of time to roast but you can make those ahead of time. You can also prepare the bacon ahead of time so when you are ready to make dinner it comes together for a stress free but heavenly pizza night!
Ingredients You Will Need For This Goat Cheese Pizza:
- Bacon
- Purple Onion
- Head of Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Goat Cheese (of course!)
- 1 Pear
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Fresh Sliced Basil Leaves
- Fresh Cracked Pepper
- Eggs (optional)
Substitute Toppings You Can Use:
So many delicious options!
If you want to use prosciutto in place of the bacon then that would be absolutely delicious. I went with bacon as it is something we more commonly have on hand.
I tried to make this pizza work well with everyday ingredients, but if you don’t have pears then figs would work very well with these flavor combinations as well.
Why Does This Have Multiple Cheeses If It’s a Goat Cheese Pizza?
Goat cheese is amazing but it can be a very strong flavor if it is more than an accompaniment. This recipe has quite a bit of goat cheese but is paired with the mild flavor of mozzarella to both add structure to the pizza toppings and to balance out the quantity of goat cheese you would need. If you don’t have goat cheese then I would stick with primarily mozzarella. I have done this with feta in place of the goat cheese as well, but cut the amount in half.
How to Roast the Garlic:
Roasted garlic is amazing on any pizza and especially this goat cheese & pear Pizza! Roasted garlic is super easy to make yourself. This recipe simplifies the topping prep by caramelizing the onions at the same time. Here is a quick video tutorial on how to roast garlic if you need!
- Slice just the top off of your head(s) of garlic so that the clove tops are exposed but remain attached to their base.
- Lay your garlic clove in a square of foil (parchment works as well if you bundle or tie the top closed) and drizzle the clove with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
- Wrap the pouch up, to seal in the garlic, and roast in a 375° F oven for 35-45 minutes until soft and golden.
- Once the garlic is cool enough to touch then pop the roasted cloves out to use.
- You can make extra and store the roasted cloves ready to use. Just place the roasted cloves in a jar of olive oil in the refrigerator and they will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Preparing the Toppings Assembling the Pizza
Pizza With an Egg!?
Though this goat cheese & pear pizza uses fairly basic ingredients, I love that it is classy enough to make for a fun date night in!
One of our favorite gourmet pizza restaurants serves many of their pizzas with the option of adding an egg on top. To make this pizza a bit fancier we love to take that method and implement it at home.
The egg isn’t overwhelming in flavor at all, though if you are doing an egg I would recommend cooking it over-easy. Part of the beauty is scooping up the last bits of yolk with the crispy crust!
You can prepare the egg on the stove top at the end, while the pizza cools off a minute. Alternatively you can crack the egg(s) directly onto the pizza when there is only 10 minutes left of cooking time and it will bake nicely right on top. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t over-bake the yolk. Serve garnished with additional fresh basil sprinkled on top!
Need More Recipe Inspiration? Try These Reader Favorites:
- Gluten Free Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken and Brussel Sprouts Casserole
- Honey BBQ Pork Chops
- Chipotle Honey BBQ Sauce
Goat Cheese & Pear Pizza With Caramelized Onions
This goat cheese & pear pizza with caramelized onions is topped with golden roasted garlic cloves and the flavors are a match made in heaven! Choose whichever crust you like to make this a gluten free pizza recipe. I love to pair this with my easy gluten free-no yeast-pizza crust!
Ingredients
- 1 pre-made pizza crust ready to top
- 1/4 lb Bacon
- 1 Head of Garlic
- 1/2 Purple Onion, Sliced
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil - Divided
- 1 Pear, Sliced
- 4 oz Goat Cheese
- 1 C. Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
- 3 Tbsp. Fresh Sliced Basil Leaves
- Fresh Cracked Pepper - To Taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375° F (if using a pizza stone, then begin heating it on the bottom rack on the cold oven now)
- slice bacon into bits and cook over medium heat on the stove. Once Cooked set aside bacon bits on a paper towel to drain.
- While bacon is cooking, slice the onion and prepare the garlic for roasting.
- To prepare the garlic, slice off the top of the head of garlic, just until the cloves below are visible and the tops are cut off. Be sure to leave the cloves attached to the base and the paper skin covering the outside of the cloves.
- Place garlic head in parchment paper or foil and drizzle with 1 tsp. of olive oil. Close the foil or parchment to create a pouch around the garlic and seal it.
- Place the sliced onions on one side of a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and stir. Place the prepared garlic packet on the other side of the pan and place in the hot oven to roast for about 35 minutes. Check the onions and stir them every 15 minutes.
- Once the garlic is cooled enough to handle then you can pop the roasted cloves out of their wrapper and top the pizza!
To Assemble & Top the Pizza:
- Heat oven to 425° F (If using a pizza stone then move the already heated stone up to the middle rack so it is ready to use.)
- Drizzle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil onto the pizza crust and spread it around with a spoon.
- Sprinkle on the prepared bacon bits, then the caramelized onions
- add each additional ingredient, layering on the pears, then topping with the mozzarella cheese.
- Finally, break apart the goat cheese and place little pieces all over. Sprinkle on the roasted garlic cloves and basil slices.
- Finish by topping with a sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper
- Place pizza into the hot oven and bake for about 15 Minutes until the cheese is hot and melted.
- Optional: serve with 2-3 over-easy fried eggs to go all out!
Notes
- steps 2-6 can be done ahead so all your topping are prepared and ready when you need them!
- You can prepare the egg on the stove top at the end, while the pizza cools off a minute. Alternatively you can crack the egg(s) directly onto the pizza when there is only 10 minutes left of cooking time and it will bake nicely right on top. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t over-bake the yolk. Serve garnished with additional fresh basil sprinkled on top!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 362Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 393mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 19g
*Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may not always be accurate.
Gluten Free No Yeast Pizza Crust
This gluten free, no yeast, pizza crust recipe is our favorite go-to recipe and can be made last minute since you don’t need to let it rise!
In addition to being gluten free, this crust has the bonus of also being a low carb pizza crust. It provides a whole lot of flavor, is remarkably sturdy for all your toppings and is super convenient how quickly it comes together! Not to mention the kids like it too!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 C. Almond Flour
- 1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese, Grated
- 3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Oregano
- 1 tsp. Basil
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 C. Water
- 1 TBSP. Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F and place your oven rack in middle position. (If using a pizza stone for final baking, begin heating it with the cold oven now on the bottom rack)
- Combine almond flour, parmesan, baking powder, oregano, basil and garlic powder in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the egg, water and olive oil.
- Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and stir well to thoroughly mix.
- Line a baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper, and lightly coat with olive oil or cooking spray.
- dump your pizza dough onto the greased parchment.
- Line up two pieces of plastic wrap about 18 inches long, to make one wide piece that will be wide enough to accommodate the finished crust.
- Lightly grease the one side of the plastic wrap, then lay this greased side down on top of your pizza dough. (see step photos in blog post if needed)
- Working with your hands, evenly press the pizza dough, under the plastic wrap, into a circle the size of your pizza about 12-14 Inches diameter.
- Use one hand to help form the edge just slightly higher, pressing and smoothing all around the edge.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 20 minutes until just beginning to brown and crisp.
- Let cool slightly then top as desired
Notes
The step photo is from the original pizza crust blog post. The steps it aligns with in the recipe card are actually steps 7-10. If you wish to see a more detailed version of this recipe visit the post here
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 190Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 157mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 8g
*Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may not always be accurate.
Omg! This is amazing. Pear and goat’s cheese is my favourite combo.
Your recipe is amazing! This combo – goat cheese and pear – is one the best in the pastry world. I am going to give it a try!
What a fantastic and different pizza. Truly yummy! I love the combo of pears and goat cheese. This is a keeper!