Beet-za

Bow down bitches, there is a new Queen Bee in town and she’s bringing this pizza.

SERVES 4

Raise your hand if you have been personally victimized by the pizza delivery guy? This take on pizza is like practically a vegetable, such a great shade of pink, and so easy to make at home you barely need to get off your fat ass to do it. Word on the street is that Regina George brought this pizza to-go on a plane and John Stamos told her he thought it was pretty. So, there’s that.

WHAT YA NEED

FOR THE PIZZA

6 medium-small beets, trimmed and scrubbed

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt to taste

Handful of all-purpose flour

1 (16-ounce package) store-bought pizza dough (Trader Joe’s has whole wheat dough!)

8 ounces soft ricotta cheese

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Food processor, rolling pin (or see Note)

PRETTY AF TOPPINGS

Arugula

Fresh parsley or rosemary

Thinly sliced candy cane beets (pictured, these beauties are seasonal)

Note: Not much of a baker? Don’t have a rolling pin, but happen to be a lush? AWESOME! An empty wine bottle with the label removed works just as well as a rolling pin. Make sure to lightly dust it with flour and you’re good to go! Insert “Rollin’ with the homies” GIF here.

• Get your oven on to 425°F. In a medium pot of salted water, bring beets to a boil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until fork tender. Rinse beets and slice into quarters. In the food processor, combine the beets, garlic, olive oil, tomato paste, vinegar, and salt. Pulse until all ingredients are well blended and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Set the beet sauce aside.

• Next, find a large clean surface in your kitchen. (Think cutting board or smooth countertop. Or, if you’re a loser and don’t have a big cutting board, you can use two paper grocery bags that have been opened up and laid flat on the counter—easy and disposable cleanup bonus!) Lightly dust the surface with some flour and begin to roll out your dough with the rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a thin circle that is 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Place the dough round on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake according to package instructions for about 10 minutes, until golden in color. Remove crust from oven.

• Spread the beet sauce evenly over the crust, and drop 1-inch clumps of ricotta on top. Bake for another 10 minutes, so the cheese can get nice and gooey. Remove from the oven.

• We like to add the fresh green toppings at the end so you have a nice mix of cooked and raw textures. This little touch gives the Beet-za an almost healthy-ish feel.