Recipe: Pesto Pizza with Butternut Squash

One of Jason’s clients, in addition to paying for legal services in cash, occasionally brings us treats from his garden.  Last time we were treated to a big basket of okra, which I used to make some yummy seafood gumbo.  This time we got four beautiful butternut squashes.  But what to do with butternut squash in July?  All of the recipes that came to my mind immediately were more appropriate for fall or winter – things like gratins and soups and stuffings.

Aftter a short search, I found a winner – this pizza recipe would allow me to use the fresh squash without winding up with something super heavy.  The pesto and tomatoes did a great job of cooling things down, so to speak.  My only complaint was that between the squash and the tomatoes, the toppings had a pretty high liquid content, and it seemed to weigh the crust down (and, sadly, I was a bit too lazy to make homemade crust).  Otherwise, the flavors worked great together, and the pizza was a nice meatless treat.

• 6 (1/4 inch thick) slices peeled butternut squash (about 1/2 pound)
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 3/4  teaspoon  olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded fontina or Gouda cheese
• Pizza Dough
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can finely chopped tomatoes, drained
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/4  cup  pesto
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated fresh Romano or Parmesan cheese

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Place squash mixture on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Sprinkle fontina over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border; top with squash mixture, tomatoes, and oregano. Drop Classic Pesto by level teaspoons onto mixture; sprinkle with Romano. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

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Posted in Recipes
Tags: Cooking Light, Dinner, Pizza, Recipes, Vegetarian