This walnut pizza is one of my absolute favorites for a deceptively easy pie. It looks and tastes so fancy that it’s hard to believe it’s actually one of the simplest pizzas possible. Depending on your food preferences, you might actually already have everything you need in your refrigerator and pantry! (I usually do.)
Start preheating your oven, because the prep work for this pizza’s toppings takes less than five minutes. If you have your dough on hand, this is the perfect pizza to make when you’re hungry and ready to just have dinner already. It’s basically a cheese board in a different format, so pair it with a nice glass of wine and imagine you’re enjoying the Napa Valley lifestyle.
Notes on This Recipe:
Flavor combination: this pizza uses a flavor combination that’s pretty classic for a reason. Nutty walnuts are the perfect contrast and complement to sweet dried apricots and tangy goat cheese. The blue cheese rounds things out and adds some funky flavor that keeps the pizza from getting boring.
Dried apricots: if your dried apricots are still nice and plump, they’re ready to use as they are. However, sometimes dried apricots can get really dry and a bit tough and hard. If this is the case, slice them and then soak them in very hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain them, then continue with the recipe as written.
Serving Suggestions:
Side dishes: this pizza is pretty richly flavored without being excessively heavy. I recommend pairing it with a salad that can stand up to the strong flavors, and echoes some of them. For example, a spinach salad with avocado slices, fresh pomegranate arils, and a balsamic dressing will be flavorful enough to pair well with the pizza. The combination of savory with some sweet fruit will help tie the dishes together.
Another option that works well is my salad with shredded Brussels sprouts, balsamic vinegar, feta, pine nuts, and lemon. The lemon and pine nuts tie into the orange zest and walnuts on this pizza, and the overall flavor is bold enough to complement the pizza perfectly.
The Process:
Prep: there’s not much to do here. Just slice your dried apricots, chop the walnuts, and cube the mozzarella. That’s it!
Looking for something to go with this walnut pizza? Try my salad with shredded Brussels sprouts, balsamic vinegar, feta, pine nuts, and lemon!
Walnut Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 ball of pizza dough (try my two hour pizza dough recipe!)
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces
- 6 dried apricots
- 3 ounces mozzarella cheese (cubed)
- 1.5 ounces goat cheese
- 1 ounce blue cheese
- 1 orange
- olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 550 degrees Fahrenheit (or as high as it will go) with your pizza stone inside. Chop the walnuts into small pieces if they’re not already. Slice the dried apricots. Cube the mozzarella.
- Stretch and top the dough. Stretch your pizza dough into a 12” to 14” round, then brush with enough olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with the walnut pieces, then evenly distribute the mozzarella cubes. Add the sliced apricots, then finally crumble the goat cheese and blue cheese on top.
- Bake and finish. Bake 550 degrees Fahrenheit on your preheated pizza stone until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden-brown. Remove from the oven and immediately zest a bit of orange on top, allowing the heat to release the aroma. Enjoy immediately.
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