Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

Beets and I have a long and sordid history.  I will not go into details, but let's just say that though I don't mind the taste of beets, that is about all on which we agree.  In fact, I have declared myself "beet sensitive" without going to the point of saying that I am allergic.  And yet, I keep trying.  I want to like beets, and I want them to like me.  I guess I am stubborn like that.

I have actually requested substitutions for beets with my CSA, but recently there was a mistake and I received beets in my produce bag.  I decided that it was an opportunity to forge ahead with my relationship and give it another go.  I came across this beet pesto recipe and the accompanying pizza recipe that used it and I decided that pizza may just be our common ground.  I was so right.

The pesto appealed to me because the beets are roasted first and then combined with many other yummy ingredients.  When you then put it on naan flatbread and top it with mozarella, spinach (or kale), and goat cheese?  Mmmmm...a match made in heaven.  And for the record, my kids couldn't get enough of this and my mom, an avid beet hater, loved it, too!


INGREDIENTS:

Pesto:

• 1 cup red beets, chopped and roasted (about 1 medium beet) 
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 
• ½ cup walnuts, roasted 
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated 
• ½ cup olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• Salt to taste 

Pizza:

• Naan bread
• Mozzarella cheese
• spinach or kale
• Goat cheese
• Pesto from above

DIRECTIONS:

For the pesto:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Wash and scrub the beet and pat it dry. Chop it into ½” cubes and place it on a sheet of foil. Wrap the chopped beet in foil, making a foil packet. Place the packet on a baking sheet. 
3. Roast in the oven for 50 minutes, or until beets are soft and juices are seeping out. Allow beets to cool completely. (I did this the day before I made the pesto, while I was making another meal.)
4. Add all ingredients except for the oil to a food processor or blender and pulse several times. 
5. Leaving the food processor (or blender) running, slowly add the olive oil until all ingredients are well combined. If the pesto is too thick for your blender to process, add a small amount of water until desired consistency is reached 

For the pizza:

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
2. Spread the pesto on the Naan bread or pizza crust.  Top with Mozzarella, spinach, and goat cheese.
3. Bake 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted appropriately.

Difficulty: easy, though a touch time-consuming if you don't plan ahead
Time: Pesto - Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: 50 minutes (there is also cooling time involved); Pizza - Prep Time: 2 minutes, Cook Time: 10-15

Source: http://www.theroastedroot.net/roasted-beet-pesto/