This vegetarian Savory Apple Pizza with Gorgonzola Cheese is gourmet pizza at its most delicious. It’s made with sautéed apples over mozzarella and gorgonzola cheeses, and is topped with a fig jam sauce and pecans.
This recipe has a story– a long, twisted tale of pizza goodness. It all started a few years back, when I was just out of college, and shockingly, shockingly, couldn’t find a well-paying job for my studio art degree. You’re all shocked too, right?
At any rate, I ended up (briefly) with the slightly mind-numbing job of entering health insurance data while sitting in a dark cubicle. To pass the time, I flipped through the waiting-room magazines. Whenever I’d find a recipe I liked, I’d have a little cubicle happy-dance.
Well, friends, that’s when I found a recipe for a Savory Apple Pizza. Quite honestly, I have absolutely no idea what magazine it was in, and over the years this recipe has morphed into an entirely different pizza, but that’s where it began. This Savory Apple Pizza has become a dinner and pizza party favorite. It’s topped with gorgonzola, mozzarella, sautéed apples, pecans, and finished off with a delicious drizzle of fig jam sauce.
Making a savory apple pizza
I’ve made this Savory Apple Pizza over and over again, and there’s been some troubleshooting along the way.
First of all, my normal go-to pizza crust is the über-thin Italian-style (or New York-style) crust, and that just doesn’t work with this pizza. It’s too flimsy for the heavy toppings. Stick with a slightly thicker dough that can support the weight of the apples– although it doesn’t have to be deep-dish. (If you buy pre-made dough, look for ‘original’ crust.)
Secondly, don’t make those weighty apple toppings any heavier than they have to be! Slice your apples thinly, and DO NOT OVERLAP the slices! If you overlap the toppings, terrible, horrible things could happen. (Actually, your toppings will just slide off. But let’s be real, that’s pretty tragic!)
Finally, let the pizza cool down after you take it out of the oven. I know– it’s hard. Freshly baked pizza smells amazing, and even though you know the cheese might burn your mouth if you eat it too fast, the scent of goopy toppings makes you not care. In this case, though, it really matters.
Once again, taking the pizza off the stone without letting it rest for a few minutes could result in the tragic ‘topping-slide.’ Let the pizza cool slightly, and then dig in and enjoy the cheesy apple deliciousness.
Savory Apple Pizza
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Apple Pizza with Gorgonzola Cheese
Ingredients
- dough for one pizza (if buying pre-made dough, do not use 'thin-crust dough)
- 3 medium size apples, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles (or sub blue cheese or sharp white cheddar)
- 1/2 cup mozzarella (preferably fresh- crumble or shred before using on pizza)
- 2 TB fig jam (or sub orange marmalade)
- 1 TB hot water
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Heat 1 TB oil in a medium pan over medium heat. When oil is hot enough to shimmer, add apples. Sauté apples for 2-3 minutes, and then add orange juice. Cover and allow apples to soften. Remove apple slices from pan, and allow to cool.
- Roll pizza dough out (you want a medium-thick crust, so don't roll too thin), and brush with oil. Spread both cheeses on pizza dough (use more or less depending on the size of your crust, but make sure your crust is covered).
- Layer apples over cheese in a single layer (do not overlap apples-- the toppings will be too heavy and will slide off the pizza).
- In a small bowl, mix fig jam and hot water (or use leftover orange juice from cooking the apples). Begin with 1/2 TB of liquid, and stir until fig jam dissolves into a syrup. Add more water if it's still too thick to pour. Drizzle fig mixture over pizza. Top pizza with pecans.
- Cook pizza 15-18 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese has melted. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
How unique is this pizza? Love the combo of apples and gorgonzola! Would love to try this one 🙂 It’s gonna be difficult to let it cool, though 😉
Thanks! It is SO hard to let it cool!
I loved all the creative apple recipes I’ve seen lately. And, this one is top-notch! So fresh and yummy!
Thanks! I’m a little apple crazed 😉
Oh! apples and gorgonzola cheese? I’m in love! The orange flavor addition is wonderful, thanks.
What a creative idea! All these flavors go well together on a fruit and cheese board, so I can just imagine how delicious this would be in pizza-form!
Thanks! It’s soooo yummy!
Apples for the win! I am 100% intrigued by this! What a perfect fall weather dinner….can’t wait to try!
Let me know if you do!! 🙂
That pizza looks amazing! I’m not surprised it’s become a favorite of yours. And I love all the tips you’ve included.
Thanks! I could make this in my sleep 😉 but I won’t.. because.. burns. Lol
Oh my goodness! This is my type of pizza! It looks almost too good to eat. But if I was sitting next to it… there would be no way to resist it!
This sounds like an amazing combination! Sweet + savory works SO well on pizza…I love it! Equally good on a brunch or dinner table!
Thanks! You could definitely make it for brunch!
Very entertaining blog. 🙂 This pizza sounds amazing. Wonder how it would taste with a different cheese? Gorgonzola is not very popular in my house.
I also make it with sharp white cheddar! It’s delicious
This sounds amazing!! Apples and Cheese are two of my favorites and when you put them together can’t help but win. Thanks for sharing Sarah 🙂