Rustic Butternut Squash Sage Pizza

Posted on | November 10, 2011 | 11 Comments

I’m thinking I should have called this recipe, The Thanksgiving or The New England. Butternut squash roasted with red onions, brown butter sage with blue cheese and tarentaise—salty and sweet this combo will satisfy any fall comfort food craving. I snuck down to the kitchen last night to slice off one more tiny piece. All the ingredients are local and the cheeses are from Vermont. Delicious warm or at room temperature.

I have two different pizza dough recipes in heavy rotation. For this pizza I used Wolfgang Puck’s recipe featured on marthastewart.com. The dough has honey rather then sugar which I prefer. Side note: have you heard the recent controversy surrounding store bought honey? In this recipe I used Blue Hill honey I picked up from the Hudson Valley. The dough is fast to make in a stand mixer but you could always use store bought dough if you’re short on time.

While the dough is rising; use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from a medium size butternut squash. Slice the squash into small chunks—easiest way I’ve discovered to do this is cut off the ends and then slice in half—arrange in a roasting pan with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the squash for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. It shouldn’t be cooked through. It will finish cooking on top of the pizza. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the squash is cooking, slice two red onions into rings and saute in pan with a little bit of olive oil for 2-3 minutes. You want the onions to be softened but not completely cooked. Set aside.

I usually do all three steps above in the morning and then finish the pizza in the evening. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll out the dough, the recipe I used can make two smaller pizzas or one really big one—I made one because I like leftovers. Grate Tarentaise from Spring Brook Farm or use gruyere to cover the entire pie. Scatter the butternut squash you roasted on top with the red onions. Bake for 20 minutes or so until the dough is crisp.

While the pizza is cooking, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a pan and throw in a handful of sage leaves to brown, put aside. Crumble a small chunk of blue cheese—I used Great Blue Hill—set aside.

When the pizza is done, open the oven and scatter the blue cheese and sage leaves on top. You want the blue cheese to melt just a little. Remove from oven and serve. Enjoy!

From top left: The dough kneading in a stand mixer, dough in an oiled bowl to rise, squash for the oven (I had a little delicata squash I threw in too) and then the dough ready to be rolled out.

Cooling on a cutting board.

Ready for dinner!

Category: fall, recipes

Comments

11 Responses to “Rustic Butternut Squash Sage Pizza”

Jane Flanagan
November 10th, 2011 @ 11:35 am
Delicious!!
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erica
November 10th, 2011 @ 11:40 am
oh yum! thank you for this recipe, i’ve just found my thanksgiving main-dish! and also thank you for the link about store-bought honey. i’m going to start looking for local honey producers near Toronto.
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Kate {domestikatedlife}
November 10th, 2011 @ 12:05 pm
That looks delicious!
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Rachel from Love a la Mode
November 10th, 2011 @ 1:20 pm
Mmm that looks so yummy!
Bisous,
Rachel
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Marie
November 10th, 2011 @ 1:23 pm
Yum! Are those silver shoes you are wearing? Where did you get them?

Thanks!
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Katy Elliott
November 10th, 2011 @ 1:29 pm
Hi Marie,

Yes, silver shoes! I got them at the cole haan outlet a few years ago. They come in a darker silver now. See here: http://www.colehaan.com/colehaan/catalog/product.jsp?catId=100&productId=396137&productGroup=387804
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Erin
November 10th, 2011 @ 9:30 pm
We’ve been into squash pizza lately, too. Yours looks awesome.
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sunday taylor
November 11th, 2011 @ 11:11 pm
This pizza looks so delicious! I make a very similar pizza with roasted butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, and onions. It’s so great in the fall season. I love your blog! This is my first visit.
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Katy Elliott
November 12th, 2011 @ 11:57 am
Sounds delicious Sunday!
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Abigail
November 14th, 2011 @ 4:16 pm
divine! squash and sage has got to be one of the best combinations of all time. I love the blue cheese with it that you used here.

Might I humbly suggest a drizzle of balsamic reduction when you’re feeling fancy? I made a pizza for friends of roasted squash, copa, thyme, mozz, and the reduction. Oh my! Such comfort food :)
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That's Not My Age
November 18th, 2011 @ 12:52 pm
Agree with Abigail – love the combination of squash & sage. Delicious – and that pizza’s a whopper!
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