I’ve always had a thing for an autumn-flavored pizza. My first time having such a pizza was on a ski vacation in New Hampshire. We went out for dinner one night and I remember having a really good butternut squash and maple syrup pizza. Ever since then, I’ve loved mixing some sweet and savory autumn flavors on pizzas. Gimme all the butternut squash, maple syrup, sage, and apples. And that’s exactly what I did for this pizza. I mean…YUM!
What’s on this pizza?
- Butternut squash purée
- Bourbon caramelized onions
- Mozzarella and Italian cheese blend
- Apple slices
- Chicken Italian Sausage
- Maple glazed pecans
- Fresh sage
All the best flavors of fall…!
Butternut Squash Purée
Instead of roasting butternut squash and placing the cubes on top of the pizza, this recipe purées the squash with some coconut milk (canned and full-fat) and garlic. Rather than using a traditional red or white sauce, this butternut squash purée serves as a nutritious and decadent autumnal pizza sauce. Topped with caramelized onions, cheese, apples, and sausage- this pizza makes for a delicious combo of fall flavors.
Let’s talk caramelized onions…
BOURBON caramelized onions to be exact, which is of course, optional if you are not including alcohol in your diet. But the bourbon does add a nice sweet caramel flavor!
How “quick” can I make these?
Well, the short answer is to really caramelize the onions and caramelize them well, you can’t really shorten the time frame. I suggest starting these caramelized onions while making your roasted butternut squash purée so that you have enough time to truly caramelize them.
The key to caramelized onions is the “low and slow” method. You want enough time to get a true caramelization (about 40 minutes) and you want low enough heat to not burn them. Cooking over medium heat for around 40 minutes should be just enough for some delicious caramelized onions.
Pour in the bourbon during the last ten minutes to add that extra oomph to your caramelized onions. You won’t regret it! They are so tasty, I want to eat them on everything.
And those maple glazed pecans…
Yum, these are so good and can be added to any pizza, salad, or side dish. They take less than ten minutes to make and only require three ingredients: maple syrup, pecans, and a pinch of salt.
Simmer the maple syrup and pecans in a small saucepan for about 5-8 minutes until the syrup is mostly evaporated. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. Remove from heat and use to top on the pizza and save the rest for another autumn dish.
Customizing your pizza to your dietary needs
- To make this vegan: omit the sausage, use vegan cheese and butter or omit the cheese and use coconut oil in place of butter
- To make this gluten-free: use gluten-free pizza dough or crust
- To make this grain-free: use a cauliflower or other vegetable, grain-free pizza crust
Hope you enjoy this pizza as much as I do! If you make this recipe, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram , @thenutritionfiend, or on Pinterest, @leangreennutrit.
Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple & Sausage White PIzza
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Purée
- 1 small Butternut Squash, cubed into 1-inch pieces about 1 1/2 cups or 1 pound
- 2 tablespoon Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Coconut Milk, full-fat from a can
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Bourbon Caramelized Onions
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 tablespoon Butter unsalted, regular or vegan
- 1 shot Bourbon optional
Pizza
- 1/2 pound Pizza Dough or your favorite pizza crust (store bought or homemade- any type works) at room temperature
- Butternut Squash Purée
- Caramelized Onions
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 cup Italian Cheese Blend (I used a blend of fontina, asiago, and parmesan cheese)
- 1 Apple sliced into thin slices
- 2 Italian Chicken Sausage casings removed
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- Maple Glazed Pecans
- 2-3 sprigs Fresh Sage
Maple Glazed Pecans
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 cup Pecans chopped or whole is fine
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
Butternut Squash Purée
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Peel the skin of the butternut squash and slice in half to remove the seeds. Chop the squash into small cubes, about an inch in size.
- Place the cubed squash on a baking sheet and drizzle the oil and toss the squash until coated.
- Roast the squash for about 25-30 minutes until lightly browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the squash and keep the oven on for the pizza.
Caramelized Onions
- While the butternut squash is roasting, cook your caramelized onions.Remove the onion skins, cut in half, and slice thinly from root to stem.
- Heat the oil and butter over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add in the onions and coat with the oil and butter. Cook the onions for around 30 minutes, stirring every five minutes and making sure to scrape any brown bits that form at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Once the onions begin to caramelize after 30 minutes of cooking, pour in the shot of bourbon and stir the onions until the bourbon deglazes the pan and eventually evaporates.
- Remove from heat when the onions are done caramelizing. Set aside while you make the pizza.
Pizza
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out your room temperature dough until it is pretty thin and is in your desired pizza shape.
- Place the pizza dough on an oiled baking sheet or pizza stone.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and cook the ground Italian chicken sausage (casings removed) until the meat is lightly browned.
- Spread the butternut squash purée evenly on top of the pizza dough. Then, top the pizza with the caramelized onions, Mozzarella and Italian blend cheese, apple slices, Italian sausage, and fresh sage leaves.
- Place the pizza in the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- While the pizza is cooking, make the maple glazed pecans.
- When the pizza is done cooking, remove from the oven, top with the maple glazed pecans. Serve and enjoy!
Maple Glazed Pecans
- Heat the maple syrup and pecans in a skillet over medium heat. When the maple syrup starts to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-8 minutes.
- Make sure to constantly stir the pecans and maple syrup mixture so that it doesn't stick or burn.
- Once the maple syrup is almost evaporated, remove the nuts from heat and transfer to a plate or parchment paper.
- Once the pizza is done cooking, top with the maple glazed pecans. Serve and enjoy!
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