Goat Cheese, Prosciutto and Carmelized Onion Pizza
If you’re looking to start your Monday off with clean eats and healthy food tips, I’d recommend skipping this post. You’ll only finish it drooling and hangry. Which is exactly how I felt after I pulled this Goat Cheese, Prosciutto and Caramelized Onion pizza out of the oven this weekend. I guess you could consider this healthy eating though, since in comparison to Domino’s this is definitely a healthy choice. Actually yeah, let’s go with that theory. Welcome to the world of healthy pizza eating people. Because goat cheese is rich in essential nutrients and has less lactose than cow’s milk. Onions are a vegetable, and we could all use more vegetables in our life. Prosciutto counts as a protein. Balsamic vinegar contains antioxidants that are good for your heart. And pizza dough, well thats a healthy carb, right? We may have done a full 180 here, but I’m pretty sure science just proved this pizza is good for you and your life will be incomplete without it. You’re welcome.
I’ve been a big fan of making my own pizza for a few years now, ever since I had started grilling pizzas on girl’s night with my friends in Boston. I haven’t gotten into making my own crust yet, but for now store bought dough works as a perfect base for experimenting with different toppings. Since moving down south I don’t have my grill anymore, but still prefer homemade pizza to takeout, so I was very happy when OXO sent over a few pizza making products for me to try out.
I’ve tried a pizza stone before with no success. Either it’s resulted in a huge mess in the oven, pizza sticking to the stone, or that one time mine cracked in half on my grill. The Non-Stick Pro Pizza Pan features a micro-textured pattern to improve airflow for even baking and rigidity for strength and durability. The nonstick surface was perfect for easily shaping the dough using just a little olive oil. I used the Complete Grate & Slice Set to slice the onion really thin, and then used the larger grater to freshly grate the parmesan cheese. I liked that the grating and slicing surfaces could be used directly over a bowl, or with the measuring container provided.
The 4″ Pizza Wheel’s clear plastic wheel won’t damage non-stick pans, and the slick surface prevents cheese from sticking. This is always a challenge with me to get the pizza cut without removing all the toppings or messing up my pan, so I was really happy with how well this tool worked!
Now let’s talk a little about this dynamic flavor combination that is the perfect marriage of salty and sweet flavors. Since trying to be more dairy free (because of my recently diagnosed cow’s milk intolerance) I’ve been missing some of my go-to treats, namely cheese. Cheese is the foundation of all that is good in this world, like pizza … and nachos. The upside of my intolerance test was that it differentiated between cow, sheep and goat’s milk, so since I only need to avoid cow’s milk, I’ve been all about that goat cheese lately.
The melted goat cheese makes a great base on the crust, that you won’t miss mozzarella or red sauce for that matter. I learned a trick a few years ago that if you add a bit of brown sugar to onions when you are sautéing them, the sweetness adds the most amazing flavor and texture to the onions. The prosciutto is the perfect salty compliment to the sweet onion, and gets a little crunchy in the final minutes of cooking. Or as my Uncle Jimmy would say, when everything is getting all happy in the oven. I added a quarter cup of aged parmigiano reggiano that I freshly grated on top. Yes, this is dairy, but I’ve read that the more a cheese has aged the less it irritates people with cow’s milk intolerance. Again, science.
The balsamic reduction is pretty potent, so a small drizzle really adds a lot of flavor to finish off this delicious pie. And while the nutritional aspect of this “healthy pizza” is based in science, the best part about this recipe is that there’s no science or precision required in topping this pie. You can experiment with whatever flavor combination your heart desires. When I want something sweeter, I like to use fig preserves and skip the balsamic reduction. If I want something a bit spicier, I add some peppery arugula on top. The possibilities are truly endless.
So the next time you’re craving pizza, skip takeout and make your own instead. Whether it’s this Goat Cheese, Prosciutto and Carmelized Onion Pizza or a variation on that, you will be much happier (and healthier) baking up your own. Enjoy!
Goat Cheese, Prosciutto and Carmelized Onion Pizza
Yield: 8 Slices
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 ball pizza dough, room temperature
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 8 slices prosciutto, torn into smaller pieces
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese
- Balsamic glaze
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out the pizza dough with some flour and stretch on the circular non-stick pan using olive oil until it is stretched to the desired size and thickness. Lightly coat both sides of the dough with olive oil. Bake on the bottom rack for 5-7 minutes until the top starts to get lightly golden.
- While the pizza is cooking, heat a medium skillet with some olive oil to cook the onions. Slice the onions very thin and cook on medium heat until lightly golden. Add in the light brown sugar and cook for another 2 minutes on medium heat.
- Remove the pizza from the oven. Crumble the goat cheese evenly around the hot dough and let it melt a bit. Use a spatula to spread the melted cheese around the crust.
- Top with the prosciutto and caramelized onions. Evenly spread the freshly grated parmesan on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted, and the onions are crispy, being careful not to overcook.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, and drizzle the balsamic glaze lightly overtop. Let is sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!