What's For Dinner Wednesday: Bacon, Pear, & Caramelized Onion Pizza

We haven't had a new pizza recipe on A Squared in a while, have we? Let's change that. 

The toppings on this pizza are the perfect blend of salty and sweet. I love savory bacon with sweet fruit, so pairing it with thinly sliced pears and one of my favorite pizza toppings-- sweet caramelized onions-- was a good plan. And not only do these ingredients work well together, but when you add creamy nutty Gruyere cheese to the pizza and top it with fresh peppery arugula, it becomes even better.

This pizza is great to serve for dinner-- it's basically an entire balanced meal in one pizza. And of course, it tastes delicious. I made it for Alex and me on a recent date night in. It was perfect with a glass of wine and a movie!

This pizza would also be excellent for entertaining. Cut it into smaller pieces and serve at a cocktail party or for game night. It's pizza so it's casual, but the ingredients are elevated enough that you could totally get away with serving it as a party appetizer too!


Ingredients:

• 1 medium Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 Tbs. butter
• Pizza crust, prepared
• 1 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 4 slices center cut bacon, cooked, drained, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup pear, core and seeds removed, very thinly sliced *Use the pear variety of your choice. I used a green Anjou.
• 3/4 cup arugula

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add butter. Once melted, add onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove onions from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, sprinkle cornmeal on a large baking sheet and place pizza crust on top. Lightly brush the top of the crust with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 3/4 of the shredded cheese evenly over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges of the crust.

Evenly arrange the bacon pieces, pear slices, and onion on top of the pizza. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the pizza.

Bake for 15-17 minutes until cheese is melted and begins to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle arugula over the top of the pizza, slice, and serve.