Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onion Pizza with Pears
Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Pizza with Pears serves up a unique flavor combo that is delicious both as a tasty appetizer or fun dinner.
Pizza is a favorite food and for good reason–it’s always a crowd-pleaser! From family mealtime to college exam break to late night tech team meal, it’s one of life’s major comfort foods, as well as a favorite practical dish!
And I especially appreciate that pizza is delicious with a wide variety of toppings. Go classic with cheese and sausage for dinner. Or get creative by making a White Seafood Pizza or today’s Goat Cheese Caramelized Onion Pizza with Pears. No boredom here!
I created this pizza a few years back to use up a cupboard full of onion jam–a caramelized-onion-like condiment. And at the time I wrote,
The pizza was a great success in our household–except for my youngest who took just one piece, then ate it entirely with a wrinkled up nose. Daughter #2 actually asked if I could make a second pizza, and declared that if I kept cooking foods like this, it would be hard for her to go away for college. I told her that I’d be sure to make some bad things too.
While we sometimes eat this pizza for dinner, I think it really shines as an appetizer. Yes, cut it into 2-inch squares and watch your guests go wild!
Why You’ll Love This!
Flavorful. With sweet and savory overtones, the flavors of caramelized onion, pears and goat cheese blend perfectly.
Easy. Especially if you use pre-caramelized onions or jarred onion jam along with pre-baked pizza crust (commercial or homemade), this is so easy to make!
Fun. While I don’t ever seem to get tired of cheese and sausage pizza, it’s fun to get creative! Variety is the spice of life!
Tips and FAQs
Don’t have a pizza paddle to transfer a homemade pizza to the oven? If you make your pizza on parchment, you can use a cookie sheet to slide it on to a preheated stone (or preheated cookie sheet).
Instead of using basic balsamic vinegar, I drizzle this with a balsamic glaze that is like a thick syrupy balsamic vinegar. But you can also use a nice balsamic vinegar as is, or you can thicken some balsamic vinegar into a sauce by simmering until syrupy.
If I have fresh thyme, I’ll often sprinkle some on top of the pizza.
When I originally started collecting onion jam, word on the street was there wasn’t a safe home canning recipe. Well I have since found one from master canner Kris Bordessa at Attainable Sustainable and I absolutely love it! So if you’re a canner, check it out!
Otherwise if you’re a regular caramelized onion user, consider making them in bulk. My daughter does this every fall when the CSAs and Farmers Markets are loaded. Then she freezes them in smaller quantities (e.g. ½ cup) to use throughout the winter.
More Appetizer and Tapas Recipes
- Crab Cake Bites from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Parmesan & Thyme Crackers from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Roasted Cherry Tomato and Burrata Bruschetta from Crazy For Couponing
- Savory Cherry Pecan Cream Cheese Spread from That Recipe
- Smoked Salmon Tortilla Bites from Creative Cynchronicity
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Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough prepared or make your own, or pre-baked crusts
- 1/2 cup onion jam or homemade caramelized onions, 1/4 – 1/3 cup per pizza (see note for how to caramelize onions)
- 2 pears 1 per pizza
- 4 ounces goat cheese or go wild and use more
- 1-2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 1-2 Tablespoons Balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar (see note)
Instructions
- If not using pre-baked crust, toll out dough thinly into two pizzas, pricking each crust with fork (to prevent bubbles from forming). Place crusts on parchment for easy transfer to oven.
- Top each pizza with about 1/4 – 1/3 c of onion jam or caramelized onions. Slice pears thinly and spread evenly over pizzas.
- Top with pinches of goat cheese, then sprinkle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar syrup.
- Bake in preheated 425 oven for about 8-12 minutes or until pear edges are starting to bubble and crust is golden.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from the original, published May 17, 2013.
This is truly a gorgeous pizza and such beautiful photos too!
Thanks Karen!
It’s hard to believe there was a time before knowing you, but this was one! I love all the flavors in this pizza… I just need to work on my dough.
Aw, it’s okay to buy dough or even pre-baked crust on occasion David–though I know your homemade would be amazing.
now this is one surefire way to get me to willingly consume goat cheese! 🙂
Thanks Grace. You know I hadn’t thought of it before, but I don’t really eat goat cheese by itself either. But I do enjoy adding it to a variety of dishes!
Your onion jam fetish made me laugh!
I think it’s getting worse though. Now that I have found a couple recipes, I actually want to make it myself 😉
Your pizza looks wonderful – and now I’m dying to try onion jam!
I don’t think that doing this helped cure my fetish 😉 Especially since I have an arugula salad that uses it to that I’ll be following up with!
Looks great! The only thing I’d add are a few toasted walnuts. One of my favorite pizzas is onion confit, chevre and walnuts, which I saw made at a Public Market cooking class.
I probably could have added walnuts given the fact the my youngest rejected it after a single piece!
Well, this certainly sounds inviting. I’ve never heard of onion jam! I’ve never eaten goat cheese that I know of. I used the words – goat cheese – in a poem that’s going on my post Wednesday. You are a clever cook!
A poem that mentions goat cheese! That will be one not to miss!
I love the unique flavor combination of this Caramelized Onion, Pear and Goat Cheese Pizza! I love sweet and savory together to I can imagine how good it is. 🙂 The flavor preference is quite different in my family too. Oh well, I’ll just made a side salad when I try this recipe. For sure there’s something for everyone….and I need to go hunt down a jar of onion jam. 🙂
I will be posting a salad that uses onion jam within a week or so, so if you buy it, be sure to check back!