Earthy and herbaceous, pungent and a little bit sweet, this green bean pizza is a study in early fall flavors.
Did you know that green beans with blue cheese is a real thing? Me neither. So when I stumbled upon this simple recipe on Eating Well's website, I knew what I'd be making with my first fresh green beans of the season.
The walnuts became pesto with parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic, and I gave the beans a quick blanch to make sure they wouldn't resist the pizza cutter too much. Then I crumbled some creamy local blue cheese on top and voila! Green bean pizza reminiscent of an early fall storm (in only the best ways possible): vibrant and green, wafting of wet earth, with the perfect balance of sweet, vegetal, and mineral flavors.
Craving fall flavors? Here are some of my favorite autumnal pizza recipes:
- Acorn Squash and Apple Pizza
- Pumpkin, Sausage, and Sage Pizza
- Bacon, Pear, and Blue Cheese Pizza
- Pumpkin and Kale Pizza
- Brussels Sprout Pizza with Grapes and Gruyere
- Oyster Mushroom Pizza with Paprika and Chives
Green Bean Pizza with Parsley-Walnut Pesto and Blue Cheese
Equipment
- Food processor
- Medium pot
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
- ¼ cup unsalted raw walnut pieces
- 1 garlic clove
- 1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for finishing
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
- ½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- ⅔ to ¾ cup crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- Combine the parsley, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined and very finely chopped. With the motor running, stream in the oil and process until smooth. Taste and add more salt and/or lemon juice as desired.
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans to the boiling water and blanch them for 2 minutes, then immediately drain the beans and run them under cold water to stop the cooking and lock in the bright green color.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Spread the pesto evenly over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border all around. Scatter on the blanched green beans and sprinkle with the blue cheese.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes, then give it a drizzle of olive oil and season with a pinch of sea salt; slice and serve.
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