Is there any food more universally satisfying than pizza? Please enlighten me if there is. As much as I (and everyone) love pizza, let’s not kid ourselves – your standard pizza is a little basic. Yeah, I said it. Run of the mill tomato sauce, mozz and toppings like pepperoni while delicious are hardly earth-shattering at this point. Let’s give your pizza a little seasonal remix.
First things first. Butternut squash is literally everything.
Do you like butternut squash? It’s a food I learned to love as an adult. My parents aren’t squash people, so it’s something I never had growing up. I remember making a pasta recipe back in college with butternut squash and goat cheese, and realized I adored the flavor combination. Although I nearly lost a finger trying to cut into the dang squash, it was love at first bite and from then on I was a squash fanatic. That dish was a huge inspiration for this pizza recipe.
To make this pizza a little less basic, I made a creamy delicious sauce by roasting and pureeing the butternut squash then slathering it on the pizza crust before finishing it off with the toppings.
Swoon. Happiness. Perfection. All of the feels.
I topped the pizza with caramelized red onion, kale that got perfectly crispy in the oven and of course goat cheese to finish off that classic flavor combination I was looking for. To keep things simple, I rolled with store-bought pizza dough. You can customize the crust based off of your dietary preferences by using whole wheat or gluten free dough, or even making your own crust from scratch. Do you, boo boo.
This pizza recipe would be perfect for a Friday night (#pizzafriday) or any day you want an easy dinner that’s fun to make. With all of these fall flavors, it would also make an awesome day before Thanksgiving dinner. I remember reading Thanksgiving Eve is one of the most popular days of the year to eat pizza. Why not enjoy some wholesome, veggie-packed pizza before enjoying your family favorites? Sounds like a solid plan.
- 1 Ball of Store-Bought Pizza Dough (use gluten-free if needed)*
- 1 Cup of Kale, Chopped
- 4 oz Goat Cheese, Crumbled
- 1 Small Red Onion, Sliced
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Avocado or Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Cornmeal
- Roasted Butternut Squash Sauce - Recipe Follows
- 2 Cups of Cubed Butternut Squash
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled
- 1½ Tablespoons Avocado or Olive Oil
- ¼ Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- To make the sauce, place cubed butternut squash and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Toss to coat and bake for ~30 minutes or until tender. When done, allow to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 425.
- When the butternut squash and garlic cool slightly, transfer to a food processor or high-speed blender along with ½ tablespoon of oil and process until smooth. Set aside.
- Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and allow to cook until caramelized and soft, about 8-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, toss the kale pieces and last teaspoon of oil until coated.
- Begin assembling pizza by placing parchment paper on a baking sheet (I used a round baking sheet, but a rectangle sheet works as well) and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll out the dough in an even layer to fit the pan.
- Spread the butternut squash sauce on the pizza dough in a smooth, even layer. You'll only need about half of the sauce - you can save the rest for later. Top with kale pieces, caramelized onion then sprinkle with goat cheese.
- Bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes, or until dough is golden brown and kale is crispy.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut into 8 slices and serve.
Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker.
Your Turn:
- What foods do you love as an adult that you never had as a kid?
- What are your favorite pizza toppings?
- Do you have any Thanksgiving Eve traditions?
Oh MY GOSSHHHHH. You’re killin me, smalls. This is totally my kind of pizza.
I like SO MANY THINGS NOW compared to when I was a kid. My dad was a pretty picky eater growing up, and didn’t really force us to eat too many things either. Plus we were a busy, hectic family. Growing up in a full house of 6 kids, simple meals (mac n cheese, pigs in a blanket, chicken and rice) were on the regular rotation. My food palette has increased 1000x since I was 15 I’m pretty sure. And I am so thankful for it! I wouldn’t have touched this as a child. But obviously I am in love with everything about this. <3 Lovely lovely photos
I totally feel you – literally all of my favorite foods are ones I started eating as an adult. My dad is also very picky and doesnt like squash or goat cheese – and he loved this pizza!
These are PERFECT!!!! I’m gluten free, so I can’t have real pizza and I LOVE butternut, so this is a total win-win for me!
Yay! This would be amazing on gluten-free crust <3
Yum!! This sounds like it’s packed with flavor. And I love love love caramelized onions!
I love caramelized onions too! So delicious
Yummmmm, I’ll have to sub the goat cheese but butternut squash pizza = I’m drooling. Also PS can you give me photography lessons, k thx
Ohhh girl a vegan version of this with extra veggies instead of cheese would be 💣💣💣. And youre too sweet – thanks so much! I have been practicing my photography a ton.
I loooooove this flavor combination! i haven’t made my own pizza in forever–I need to get on that.
Thanks so much Erin! And yes, homemade pizza is the best 🙂
Butternut SQUASH !! Heart Eyes! Oh yes yes yes!
I am SO happy you just said heart eyes. Speaking my language
This looks soooo freaking good! My husband and I love making pizza together, so we’ll have to give this one a try. Thank you for sharing your recipe 🙂
Abby // thefabblog.com
Thanks Abby – I hope you love it!
This looks delicious. Yum!
Thanks so much Angie!
Butternut squash sauce on a pizza is such a great idea. Thanks for the inspiration. I love your photos.
Thanks Christine! I really appreciate that
It looks so amazing. I’m sure it tastes heavenly! 🙂
I may be biased, but I totally think it does 😉
Wow! This looks so good! I would never have thought of anything like this. I have to be honest though…I’ve never had goat cheese! Gasp! I know! I think I’m going to go buy some though because this recipe looks amazing! Thanks!
Thanks so much Sandra! And oooh def give goat cheese a try. It is so good!
Squash, kale AND goat cheese?! You’re speaking to me with this pizza! It sounds amazing! And I love that you pureed the squash. Yum!
Arent those just the best three things?
Oh. My. Goodness. I’m a sucker for everything butternut squash and goat cheese….this looks incredible.
Me too! They make the best combo.
I’d love to have a slice. This looks so delicious. Yumm!!!
I H-A-T-E-D beets as a teen, but now LOVE ’em! I’ve never had the butternut squash and goat cheese combo. Looks so so good 🙂
Same here! I was never into beets back in the day, but now I love em. You should definitely give the butternut/goat cheese combo a try. You would love it 😉
I love goat cheese on a pizza!
Me too! It’s so so good.
Going to find a gf pizza crust so I can make this adapt. Seriously this looks beyond amazing. Right up my alley! I’m not sharing :)))
I hope you love it! <3
Wow, such amazing flavors together!!
Thanks Rachel! One of my favorite flavor combos 🙂