Brussels Sprouts Pizza with Balsamic Red Onions
Delicious Brussels sprouts pizza topped with balsamic caramelized onions (or opt for marinara sauce) and mozzarella, baked to crispy, golden perfection.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 2, 2024
This pizza has been exasperating me for the past week. I knew I wanted to put Brussels sprouts on it, but what else?
After several prototypes, including red onions on top, pesto on bottom and a failure of a creamy spinach sauce, it finally occurred to me to use balsamic, caramelized red onions as the base. That’s the ticket!
I visited Italy in college and the absence of red sauce on pizzas over there totally shocked my young American self.
Like, time out, Rome! You forgot your marinara! Then I conceded that Italians know their pizza and that maybe my quintessential pizza concept was a little off.
Up until then, I thought that pizza consisted of dough plus marinara plus ample amounts of cheese, baked to bubbly perfection. In Italy, though, pizzas are more broadly accepted as baked flatbread with toppings. Maybe marinara, maybe not. Maybe cheese, maybe not. Maybe cooked onions instead, or pesto, or veggies.
It’s all fair game. They bake their pizzas on big rectangular pans and sell them on the street. So good.
This pizza may not be for everyone, but I’m a fan. Boldly flavored, semi-caramelized onions with reduced balsamic vinegar, topped with mozzarella and Brussels sprouts (sliced two ways for maximum crispiness and texture) and a sprinkle of Parmesan for good measure.
I took a short-cut with whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s, but my easy whole wheat dough would be even better!
More Pizzas to Enjoy
- Arugula-Almond Pesto Pizza
- Broccolini Almond Pizza
- Butternut Ribbon Goat Cheese Pizza
- Greek Pizza
- Kale Pesto Pizza
- Ultimate Veggie Pizza
Brussels Sprouts Pizza with Balsamic Red Onions
Brussels sprouts pizza topped with balsamic caramelized onions (or opt for red sauce, just eyeball the amount) and mozzarella, baked to crispy, golden perfection! Recipe yields one large, 12-inch pizza (or two smaller, 9-inch pizzas).
Ingredients
Balsamic red onions
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium or 1 extra-large red onion
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Brussels sprouts
- 8 ounces (½ pound) Brussels sprouts
- 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pizza
- 1 batch easy whole wheat pizza dough or store-bought whole wheat dough (I used Trader Joe’s)
- 1 ½ to 2 cups grated low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese (6 to 8 ounces), depending on how cheesy you like your pizza
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place a pizza stone on the middle rack if you have one. Slice your onions into thin rounds (the thinner you slice them, the faster they will cook).
- Prepare the Brussels by slicing off the tough ends and discarding them. Use your fingers to pull off the individual leaves around the outside, then trim off the newly exposed tough end, and continue until you have broken the sprout into leaves. Repeat for about half of the Brussels sprouts, then slice the rest into thin slices from top to bottom. Drizzle the sprouts with 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil and toss well. Rub the oil into the sprout leaves so they’re all lightly coated in oil, adding another dash of oil if necessary. Toss with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.
- To prepare the red onions, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt. Toss to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the onions are nice and soft. The thinner you sliced them, the sooner they will cook. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and stir to combine. Continue cooking, uncovered, for a few more minutes, until the balsamic vinegar has condensed and mostly absorbed into the onions. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Prepare the pizza dough as directed. If you’re using store-bought dough like me, I’d roll it out into one pizza. If you’re using my pizza dough recipe, I’d make two pizzas. I like to roll out the dough on pieces of parchment paper for easy transfer to the oven. For best results, roll the dough out as thin as reasonably possible while maintaining an even surface level.
- Top the dough with an even layer of red onions, followed by mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the Brussels on top, then finish with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
- Transfer one pizza to the oven at a time (if you don’t have a baking stone, bake your pizza on a cookie sheet). Bake until the crust is golden, the cheese is bubbly and the Brussels sprouts are crispy on the edges, about 10 to 14 minutes. Repeat with the remaining pizza, if you have one. Top the pizza(s) with a light sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper (trust me!) and red pepper flakes if you’d like, then slice and serve.
Notes
Make it vegan: Trish says this pizza turned out great even without the cheese.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Made this last night and everyone loved it! Flavors blend perfectly.
This was so delicious! We drizzled balsamic glaze to finish it and it was the perfect touch!