How To Make Butternut Squash and Basil Pizza

I found this recipe on a package for Mama Mary’s individual pizza crust recipes but I decided to go a little further and tweak this recipe to incorporate a few more ingredients.  The original recipe calls for butternut squash baked as noted below - but left in circles.  I thought they looked too cumbersome to make a ‘nice presentation’ on the pizza so I cut up the squash circles to be more presentable after cooking. 

Likewise, I like spinach with butternut squash, so I added that.  The original recipe also called for Manchego cheese shredded and Asiago cheese – I used Mozzarella because I happened to have that on hand.  I also added a couple other ingredients and I think that the outcome was delicious.  I tend to do that when I cook - throw in the kitchen sink.  However, original recipe or mine, it is a delicious variation on a classic dish! 

Butternut squash is a wonderful vegetable to make vegetarian dishes with, to add to soups and stews or just plain as the vegetable offering in a meal.  For another idea, try my Butternut Squash Lasagna!

INGREDIENTS

• Mama Mary’s individual gourmet pizza crust (or homemade pizza dough divided into personal pizza sizes)
• Butternut squash peeled then sliced into 1/2-inch thick round slices. (After cooking, I cut it into small chunks)
• Crushed red pepper to taste (or other pepper)
• Fresh basil leaves, washed, dried and chopped to small pieces
• Fresh spinach leaves, washed, dried and chopped to small pieces
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh grated Mozzarella cheese (or substitute any other Italian cheeses – separate or combined)
• Olive oil spray
• Diced onions or shallots if desired
• Kalamata olives sliced (or substitute regular olives)
• Feta cheese

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover a jelly roll pan or cookie sheets with foil and spray with olive oil spray.
2. Add the squash slices in a single layer. Spray the slices with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes until squash is just fork tender. You can use regular size pizza crusts and use the butternut squash as circles if you like – just remove any seeds in the center of the seeded pieces.
4. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.
5. Spray the individual pizzas with olive oil spray.
6. Line a pizza pan or baking sheets with parchment paper – trim so edges do not touch oven wall. Place the pizzas on the parchment paper/pan and bake for 5 minutes.
7. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients randomly over the crusts. I just apply a thin layer of all ingredients and then top with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese followed by Mozzarella or Italian cheese as the last ingredient. You can add as much of the ingredients as personally desired but just make sure the top cheese has melted before removing from the oven.
8. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
9. For a crispier crust, remove from the parchment paper and place directly on the oven rack for 3 minutes more.
10. Sprinkle with additional basil leaves if desired.
11. Cool 5 minutes before slicing.
12. I found that one of these little ‘personal’ pizzas would actually feed both of us and then we had leftovers for lunch!

Just like everything else, pizza is something you can make at home - usually in less time than it takes to get one delivered!  With a little ingenuity as well, you can make gourmet type pizzas with little to no effort.  For another quick and delicious treat, try my chicken pizza recipe.