Sheet Pan Pizza with Concord Grapes, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese
Sheet pan pizza… or sheet pan flatbread? Pizza has a better ring to it, but if I’m honest, this flatbread/pizza hybrid verges on a really well-flavored focaccia – boasting a thick and chewy crust, with lots of yummy toppings.
Let’s talk about grapes on pizza. Completely weird? Maybe.
But these aren’t your everyday table grapes. Concord grapes are smaller, deeper hued, and intensely flavorful (one reason why they’re often used as “grape” flavoring and to make grape jams and jellies).
Together with sweet, caramelized onions, tangy goat cheese, and a good dusting of parmesan atop a chewy crust, the combination just works. The grapes add a vivid, bright flavor that’s a perfect complement to the savory umami of the other ingredients, proving once again that fruit can definitely go savory, particularly when paired with good cheese.
We make homemade pizza most Sunday nights – dough from scratch, ceramic baking stone, pizza peel…the whole deal – but this sheet pan pizza method is a lot easier.
The pizza dough molds to the shape of the pan; so there’s no wrangling of delicate dough to and from the oven. All it takes is a sturdy sheet pan, a really hot oven, and about twenty or so minutes from start to finish.
After stretching out the dough, and brushing on a thin layer of golden olive oil, I like to quickly par-bake the pizza crust to crisp up the bottom, because there is nothing worse than a soggy pizza. Hot from the oven, the toppings are added – the grapes, caramelized onions, cheese, cheese, and more cheese.
The whole delicious mess goes back into the blazing hot oven to bake for a few minutes more, before reemerging golden brown and bubbly. Simple, cheesy, pizza bliss…
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Sheet Pan Pizza with Concord Grapes, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 2-4 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough, at room-temperature
- 2–3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small sweet or yellow onion, sliced into thin rings
- 1–1/2 cups grated mozzarella or Italian-blend cheese
- 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup seedless Concord grapes, removed from stems
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a 9×13-inch rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Gently stretch the ball of pizza dough into a rectangle, until it reaches the edges of the sheet pan. Brush the dough with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil, just enough to lightly coat. Use your fingers to create dimples all over the top of the dough.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes, until the dough is gently puffed, and mostly set. Remove from the oven and let cool on a baking rack.
- Meanwhile, cook the onions. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes.
- Increase the oven temperature to 450 F.
- Sprinkle the crust with the grated Italian and goat cheeses, leaving a slight border all the way around. Top with the caramelized onions, followed by the grapes and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Transfer to a cutting board, slice, and serve warm!
I do not think this is a good flavor combination. The baked grapes lose their fresh flavor and taste closer to concentrated grape juice and does not balance well with the onions. I guess perhaps it is an acquired taste in terms of a combination. But after trying the combination based on this recipe I wouldn’t recommend.
★★
What an interesting combination! I love grapes with cheese and crackers, so this does seem like a logical extension. I’ll have to give it a try 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you, Kate!