This easy-to-make Brussels Sprouts and Ricotta Flatbread Pizza features shaved Brussels sprouts, creamy ricotta, mozzarella, shallots, and salty bits of bacon. Seasoned lightly with parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and a drizzle of lemon juice, this topping combination makes a delicious hearty appetizer or light dinner.
The biggest game day of the year is around the corner and if you’re hosting a gathering, big or small, flatbread pizzas should absolutely be on your menu. They are ultra easy to throw together in a regular oven and are always a huge hit. They’re also great for a quick and light weeknight meal or even a special dining-in date night (looking at you Valentine’s day).
Brussels Sprouts Flatbread Pizza
As we all know, the sky’s the limit as to the varieties of toppings, and base, you can use on any style of pizza. Today I wanted to share with you one of my absolute favourites. It will turn any regular flatbread crust into something really special. The toppings feature shaved Brussels sprouts, creamy ricotta, mozzarella, shallots, and salty bits of bacon. Seasoned lightly with parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and a drizzle of lemon juice, I find this layered topping combination completely delicious.
Though you can certainly make your own flatbread base, store-bought flatbread’s have come a long way and are a real time-saver here. Once your bacon is par-cooked and the Brussels sprouts are sliced, this flatbread pizza comes together in about 10 minutes.
If you haven’t had a Brussels sprouts pizza, you need to immediately give it a try. In the hot oven, some of the thinly shaved leaves become silky-sweet while others get crispy and smoky. Creamy, cheesy, with bits of salty bacon throughout, even Brussels sprouts skeptics will love this flatbread pizza!
Key Ingredients And Notes
- Flatbread – You will need one large or two small flatbreads for this recipe. See section below on which flatbread is best for this Brussels sprouts pizza.
- Brussels sprouts – You will need 8-10 ounces of Brussels sprouts (about 2 1/2 cups once shaved). Because you don’t need a huge amount, I find it easiest to use a sharp knife to thinly slice the Brussels sprouts. This article has a great step-by-step guide on how to shave Brussels Sprouts. For a little extra crunch and bright colour, I like to reserve a handful of the shaved Brussels sprouts to sprinkle over the baked pizza.
- Bacon – It’s not news that Brussels sprouts and bacon make a great team. If you prefer, you can use seared pancetta which is also delicious.
- Ricotta – Whole milk ricotta is mild, creamy and so delicious on pizza. It will hold its shape when heated and not turn watery like fresh mozzarella. If you can buy it at your local Italian deli, even better.
- Shallots – Thinly shaved shallots crisp up quickly in the hot oven making this topping even more delicious.
- Mozzarella – A sprinkle of grated mozzarella adds the ooziness-factor we all love in a pizza. However, I keep the amount minimal to let the creamy ricotta shine.
- Parmesan – In my opinion, all pizzas are improved with a sprinkle of salty parmesan.
- Lemon juice – A drizzle of lemon juice over the baked Brussels sprouts flatbread pizza brightens everything up.
- Red pepper flakes and flaky salt – Optional to finish: a sprinkle of red pepper flakes adds a hint of heat and flaky sea salt adds a bit of crunch and brightens all the flavours.
How to Make Flatbread Pizza
For best results, start with a pre-cooked flatbread. It can be homemade or store-bought. This recipe calls for a pretty large flatbread. If yours is considerably smaller, reduce the amounts of each ingredient or use two flatbreads.
Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place faltbread onto an inverted parchment-lined baking sheet. An inverted baking sheet allows for more heat to reach the flatbread.
Brush a thin coat of olive oil on the flatbread. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the flatbread, leaving the edges free. Scatter dollops of the ricotta cheese over top then add the shaved Brussels sprouts (reserving 1 cup), the shallots and bacon. Drizzle everything with extra virgin olive oil.
Bake for 6 minutes or until flatbread is golden brown on the edges, the cheese has melted and the toppings have started to slightly crisp. Immediately drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, toss the reserved Brussels sprouts with a tablespoon lemon juice and scatter over the pizza. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and flaky salt, if using. Slice and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ’S
Like all pizza, this Brussels sprouts flatbread pizza is best eaten right away. That said, we all know the best thing about pizza is leftovers the next day. Reheat leftovers in a 350ºF just until warmed through. In a pinch, you can use the microwave but this could make the crust soft and unpleasantly chewy.
With only a small amount of Brussels sprouts, two kinds of cheese, and a carb-y bread base, we cannot claim this pizza to be healthy by any stretch. Consider this an occasional, delicious indulgence. That said, any style pizza you make at home will be healthier than most pizza’s you buy. You are controlling the amount of cheese, oil and the crust.
As I mentioned, store-bought flatbreads have come a long way and make the perfect base for any pizza. If you have time to make your own, you can use this delicious naan recipe here.
Pretty much any flatbread will work here but try and find one that is thick enough to hold the toppings. For a store-bought option in Canada, I’m a huge fan of Manoucher Bread but if that is not available to you, just seek out any flatbread at the grocery store that looks good to you. I also like to use this naan, though it’s not as sturdy so you can’t load it with too many toppings.
A sore-bought, or homemade baked pizza crust will also work perfectly here. If using un-baked, unless you have a pizza oven, make sure to par-bake it or the toppings could burn.
The shape of your flatbread won’t matter but whichever one you go with, make sure it is unflavoured, or only flavoured with mild herbs. For example, the manoucher brand I mentioned sells a delicious flatbread with tarragon but it would overwhelm all the other flavours of this Brussels sprouts pizza.
Tips For Success!
Use two flatbreads, if necessary.
This recipe calls for a pretty large flatbread. If yours is considerably smaller, reduce the amounts of each ingredient or use two flatbreads.
Prepare the toppings ahead of time.
For an easy evening of entertaining, have all your toppings prepped a day ahead. This way you just have to assembled the flatbreads a little bit before you’re ready to serve them, bake them up and done—easy-peasy.
Use toppings that cook quickly.
Flatbread pizza’s cook really fast. Particularly if using a pre-baked flatbread, make sure the toppings you use are thinly sliced so they cook really quickly before the flatbread gets too crunchy.
Don’t overload the crust.
Resist the urge to layer too many ingredients on your flatbread. Otherwise, the ingredients on the bottom layers will not have time to properly cook. In addition, particularly if your flatbread is a soft, the weight of too many ingredients will result in a saggy pizza.
Cook the flatbread pizza on an inverted baking sheet.
A baking steel or pizza stone is ideal for cooking homemade pizza. For this store-bought flatbread crust, I don’t bother with it. Simply take a rimmed baking sheet and invert it, the place a sheet of parchment paper on top. Place the flatbread on the parchment-lined baking sheet and add the toppings and transfer to the hot oven. The flat surface of the baking sheet works like a charm at allowing all the ingredients to cook quickly.
More Flatbread Pizza Topping Ideas
Easy and crowd-pleasing, the beauty of flatbread pizzas is that you do not need an exact amount for any of the topping ingredients. This makes them a great vehicle for using up odds and ends in the fridge.
Here’s a few other topping combinations we love:
- Caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, and shredded Fontina cheese or blue cheese – this one is always a hit!
- Another favourite topping combo borrows from the classic French Bread Pizza: Garlicky-butter, pizza sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni (shown below and recipe included in notes). So good!
- Non-dairy option: Use a vegan ricotta and top with Brussels sprouts or any sautéed garlicky greens such as kale, spinach or Swiss chard. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast – yum!
- Other great topping ingredients: any cheese you can think of, olives, anchovies, capers, sliced artichokes, ham, dare I say pineapple? I admit, I love it on pizza.
More Cheesy Appetizers
- Baked Fontina with Herbs and Hot Honey
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Whipped Feta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Chorizo and Black Bean Nachos
If you give this Brussels Sprouts Flatbread Pizza recipe a try, please feel free to leave a comment and/or a star rating below. We appreciate and welcome all your feedback. Thank you!
Brussels Sprouts Flatbread Pizza
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon diced
- 1 large about 14×5 inches store-bought flatbread, or 2 smaller ones
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
- 8 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, divided
- 2 small shallots thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes optional
- flaky salt such as Maldon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Fry the bacon in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until cooked but not too crispy (it will crisp up more in the oven). Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Place faltbread onto an inverted, parchment-lined, large baking sheet (see notes below).
- Brush a thin coat of olive oil on the flatbread. Scatter the mozzarella cheese and dollops of the ricotta evenly over top, leaving the edges free. Sprinkle about 2 cups of the shaved Brussels sprouts (reserving 1/2 cup), followed by the shallots and bacon. Drizzle everything with extra virgin olive oil and season the pizza toppings with a pinch of salt.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes or until flatbread is golden brown on the edges, the cheese has melted and the toppings have started to slightly crisp. Immediately drizzle all over (including the edges) with a little more olive oil and sprinkle all over (including the edges) with 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan. Let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, toss the remaining 1/2 cup Brussels Sprinkle with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Scatter over the pizza and season with a pinch of red pepper flakes and flaky salt, if using. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons very soft butter
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup pizza sauce (My favorite is by Mutti – but any pizza or marinara sauce will work).
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- pepperoni
- basil (optional for garnish)
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