Quick and easy goat cheese, raisin, walnut and arugula flatbread pizza {vegetarian}
Before you scrunch up your nose at the idea of raisins on a pizza (and I know you might be scrunching at this very moment), consider this: if I'd called this recipe "arugula salad with goat cheese, raisins, and walnuts", you'd be all for it. So why not put the whole thing on top of a piece of toasted flatbread, thick or thin, and warm it up so the cheese gets a bit soft and gooey? To make an easy and exciting pizza, combine any ingredients you'd ordinarily put in a salad bowl on a piece of pita bread, lavash, tortilla, or any of the wonderful variety of flatbreads you find in the supermarket these days. The secret is to add the arugula (you could also use spinach, watercress, or baby kale) after the pizza has cooked, or else it will wilt into a soggy mess. Toss your greens with a light vinaigrette or your favorite salad dressing, and pile them high on the pizza after it comes out of the oven. The contrast between warm pizza and cool arugula will win you over to the whole raisin thing. I promise.
Quick and easy goat cheese, raisin, walnut and arugula flatbread pizza
From the pantry, you'll need: golden raisins, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, agave nectar.
Serves 1-2; can be multiplied.
Ingredients
1 flatbread (whole wheat flatbread, naan, pita, or tortilla)
1/4 cup goat cheese (soft, or crumbles)
2-3 tsp golden raisins
2 tsp chopped walnuts
1-1/2 cups baby arugula leaves
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp agave nectar
A pinch each of kosher salt and fresh black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the flatbread top side down on a rimmed baking sheet.
When the oven is hot, toast the flatbread on one side for 5-6 minutes, until it is just a bit crispy around the edges. Remove the pan from the oven, and flip the bread.
Spread or sprinkle the goat cheese all over the bread, leaving a half-inch border around the edge. Scatter the raisins and walnuts here and there.
Bake for 5 minutes, until the goat cheese is warm and soft. Remove the pan from the oven.
While the pizza is cooling slightly, wash the arugula and place it in a small bowl. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, agave, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Shake to emulsify (thicken) the dressing, and toss it with the arugula.
Top the pizza with the arugula, and serve at room temperature.
More fun flatbread pizza ideas:
Quick and easy garlic naan pizza with arugula pesto
Sausage, egg and asparagus pizza
Whole wheat pizza with pumpkin, black beans and caramelized onions
Scallion pancake pizza
Quick and easy garlic naan pizza with roasted peppers and cheese
Other flatbread pizza recipes you might enjoy:
Rainbow veggie flatbread pizza, from Gimme Some Oven
Lavash flatbread pizzas, from Skinnytaste
Paella flatbread pizza, from Poor Girl Eats Well
Flatbreads with goat cheese, carmelized onions and basil, from The Kitchn
Three cheese spinach flatbread pizza, from Green Lite Bites
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Perfect pizza as per usual, and I'm loving the arugula (or rocket as we call it in Australia). I add it to every single pizza I make! I'm addicted. Try it with a wedge of lemon?
Bec, thanks! I love arugula on pizza, too. Never tried it with lemon, but now I'm going to do that on my next arugula pizza. Thanks for the suggestion.
I am always in flavor of arugula, whether it's on a pizza or in a salad! This sounds fantastic!
Kalyn, I didn't always love arugula, but the baby arugula I buy in the market these days has made a believer out of me. It's much more tender than what I'd had before.
BTW, Arugula is a fun green to grow anywhere. Just sprinkle a pack of seeds into a large container filled with potting soil. Water, place in a sunny place, and wait a few weeks, watering every few days. When the plants have developed lots of leaves, but not yet flowered, "give it a haircut" cutting it back 4 or 5 inches! In a few weeks you have another crop ready for the next haircut and your next pizza!
Cousin Martin, thanks so much. I really have to try this!
Love the idea of salad on top pizza - we just had salad pizza last night and even my husband loved it. Baby arugula is one of my favorites in the summertime.
Oh no no no I would not scrunch up my nose! I think serving what could be a wonderful salad on a flatbread is brilliant and wonderful and such a great summer meal.