Pear, Gorgonzola & Gruyere Pizza with Crumbled Bacon & Nuts

So let’s talk pizza, shall we? This is a pizza recipe that has become an obsession in my house. But it’s not just any pizza… it’s low fat pizza. Now I know that the term “low fat” probably doesn’t make it sound quite as appetizing but trust me on this one. I tend to be very picky about my pizza, especially homemade, but this is seriously the best homemade pizza I’ve ever had. This has become a go to recipe as I’ve been trying to learn how to cook healthier, low fat meals. Topped with sweet pears (yes, fruit… on a pizza… I was just as confused), two cheeses, bacon, and nuts …. at only 198 calories per slice, how can you pass it up?

Pear, Gorgonzola & Gruyere Pizza with Crumbled Bacon & Nuts -

(Recipe found @ http://nutritionfor.us)

This pizza is so quick and easy to put together and is so full of flavor. It starts off with a really good store bought whole wheat crust (I used Boboli). Then the fun part as we proceed to stack it with some delish toppings. We first top it with the caramelized onions and then the pears; which are really the stars of the show.

I’ve never had fruit on a pizza before and really in so many ways, it just sounds kinda wrong, doesn’t it? Or maybe that’s just me and my unfortunate aversion to fruit (am trying to change that). But consider me converted. The pears give this pizza a sweet taste, and with the cheese, oh don’t even get me started! Pears and cheese are made for each other! Especially paired with the flavors of the gorgonzola and gruyere; gloriously melted over the pears. The crumbled bacon gives it an added salty taste to complement the sweet, and the nuts give it a great texture.

As if that weren’t enough yummy toppings, I also added some turkey pepperonis that I had on hand. Finish this beauty off with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and if you’re anything like me, a little bit of red pepper flakes. As in my humble opinion, no pizza is truly complete without a generous sprinkle of red pepper. :)

The only problem with this pizza is that even though it’s low on calories, you still have to eat it in moderation. And while it is pretty filling (two pieces were more than enough), moderation still proves to be just a little on the challenging side. Proceed with caution. :)

Ingredients:
1 8 inch whole wheat pizza crust
1 1/2 sliced Bosc pear
1 large medium onion, chopped
2 pieces of maple bacon, crisped and crumbled (we used turkey bacon)
3/4 cup of crumbled gorgonzola cheese (You can also use fontina, mozzarella or provolone)
1/2 cup of sliced gruyere cheese
1/4 cup of chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, whatever you’d like)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Dashes of salt and pepper
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a pizza sheet with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook until soft, brown and caramelized. In the same saucepan, cook bacon until crispy, set aside.

Spread onions over the crust, being sure to cover the entire crust. Spread 1/2 gorgonzola cheese mixture over the onions. Carefully slicing the pears, slice into thin pieces. Place the pears over the pie in a circular fashion. Place sliced gruyere slices over the pears. Cover with rest of the gorgonzola, crumbled bacon bits, nuts and salt and pepper.

Toss a little bit more olive oil over the pie and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned. Serve and enjoy! Yields: 8 slices

Nutritional information per slice:
198 calories, 8 grams of fat, 31 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of protein.