Borscht Pizza with beet puree, horseradish cream, and fresh dill

This Borscht Pizza, inspired by the classic Eastern European soup, features a vinegary beet puree, fresh dill, and horseradish cream.

Not only is it hearty and satisfying, but it's also a great detox meal. Plus, beets are packed with nutrients that help purify the blood and detoxify the liver, and their rich, jewel-toned color makes for a stunning presentation (if I do say so myself).

For this Borscht pizza, I roasted and then pureed the beets with some olive oil, dill, lemon zest, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Then, I slathered the puree on a round of dough, baked it until the crust was golden brown, let it cool for a few minutes, and topped it with cold horseradish-yogurt sauce and some more chopped dill.

The beet-and-cream pairing is an homage to borscht, a traditional Eastern European beet soup, and this Borscht Pizza is the perfect mix of old and new, traditional and inventive, earthy and bright.

Looking for more comfort food–inspired pizzas? Give one of these a try, too!

• Truffled Mac and Cheese Pizza
• Cheeseburger Calzones
• Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Pizzas
• French Onion Pizza
• BLT Pizza
• Loaded Beef Taco Pizza
• Grandma Pizza with Sausage, Bell Pepper, Onion, and Mushrooms

Print Recipe

1 from 4 votes

Borscht Pizza with Beet Puree, Horseradish Cream, and Fresh Dill

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean

Keyword: beets, vegetarian

Makes: 1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza

Cost: $10

Equipment

• large rimmed baking sheet
• Aluminum foil
• Food processor or blender
• Rolling pin (optional)
• Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
• Pizza peel (optional)

Ingredients

• 3 medium red beets, leaves removed (1 pound)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting the beets
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, divided
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest, divided
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup whole-fat sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
• Kosher salt or flaked sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. If you're using a baking stone/steel, place the stone/steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating.
• Scrub the beets, pat them dry, and place each one on a piece of aluminum foil. Rub the beets a tablespoon or two of olive oil, then wrap the foil around each beet and transfer them to a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the beets are easily pierced with a sharp paring knife. Remove the beets from the oven, unwrap them, and set them aside to cool.
• Increase the oven temperature to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel). If you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high as soon as it reaches the higher temperature.
• When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub off their skins using a clean paper towel. Trim off the ends, cut the beets into chunks, and transfer them to a food processor or blender. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the chopped dill, and 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest; puree until smooth. Add more olive oil as needed to create a puree with the consistency of thick tomato sauce (I needed another 2 tablespoons). Stir in the vinegar and season with ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
• In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, horseradish, 1 teaspoon of dill, and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Season with ¼ teaspoon fine seal salt and a grind or two of black pepper.
• Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
• Spoon the beet puree onto the dough and spread it evenly, leaving a ½-inch border all around. Sprinkle some flaked sea salt over top.
• Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and spotted on the bottom—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel. Remove the pizza from the oven.
• Let the pizza cool for 5 minutes. Measure ½ cup of the horseradish cream mixture into a resealable plastic bag, and snip off the very tip of one of the corners. Pipe the yogurt mixture onto the pizza in a spiral pattern (see photos above), then sprinkle the top with the remaining tablespoon of chopped dill. Cut the pizza into slices and serve with the extra horseradish-yogurt sauce for dipping.