Green Bean Pizza with Parsley-Walnut Pesto and Blue Cheese
This green bean and blue cheese pizza is a study in fall flavors. It's herbaceous and earthy, pungent and a little bit sweet.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword: blue cheese, green beans, pesto, vegetarian, Vegetarian Pizza
Makes: 1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza
Cost: $15
- 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
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.