Surely I can’t give you a nice pizza dough recipe and not follow through with a great idea for toppings, now, can I?

What do you say to Grilled Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onions? Sounds good? Sounds so much better than pepperoni and cheese to me!

To think that I used to not really care for squash. Boy was I missing out!

If you’ve never tried it on a pizza, by all means, go ahead and do it! Along with the caramelized onions and sage, it’s a winning combination. And if you don’t care much for the caramelized onions, it also works great with tomato sauce.

But you know me and tomato sauce. I always have to find a way to take a different route. 😉

Speaking of different route, I think I’ll let the images do the talking tonight, for a change. Yesterday’s post was so long… it’ll give you guys a nice break from my usual giberring 😉

Don’t they say a picture is worth a thousand words?

Let’s hit it!

GRILLED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS PIZZA

INGREDIENTS
(for one 10-12 inch pizza)

DOUGH

¼ Whole wheat pizza crust recipe

TOPPINGS

  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 125g sliced mushrooms (cooked)
  • 1 thick slice leftover grilled or oven roasted butternut squash*, cut into 1” cubes
  • 100g low fat Mozzarella cheese, grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

ADD-ONS (AFTER PIZZA IS OUT OF THE OVEN)

  • 20g raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1-2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

*If you don’t have leftover roasted butternut squash (or pumpkin, or any other kind of squash), start by preheating your grill to medium heat, or oven to 400F. Cut the squash into thick slices and remove the seeds and skin. Lightly brush the slices on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt, pepper and dried oregano. If grilling, place directly on the grill and cook for about 5-8 minutes per side, or until tender, but firm. If baking, place on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, turning the slices halfway through the cooking process. Cool completely before cutting into cubes.

  1. Preheat oven to 500F.
  2. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until very soft and caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water from time to time to help deglaze the pan and soften the onion. Always wait until the water has fully evaporated before adding more.
  3. When the onions are done, set them aside and cook the mushrooms (with salt and pepper to taste) over medium high heat until nice and golden. Set aside.
  4. Roll dough into 10-12 inch disc and lay onto a baking sheet. Top with caramelized onions, cooked mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. Add squash cubes and fresh sage.
  5. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and starts to colour on the edge.
  6. Take pizza out of the oven and add pumpkin seeds and additional fresh sage.