Sunday, March 3, 2013

Butternut Squash Pizza with Rosemary

I have a certain weakness for dough.  Pretty much any kind of dough.  I try to stay away from dishes that call for it because I know I'll overindulge.  However, that doesn't mean I stay away from these meals/items completely. After all, what good is living if you can't enjoy once in a while? Hence, I caved and made the following dish - using another of my favorite ingredients ever (which is NOT unhealthy!) - butternut squash.

I picked up the original recipe here from allrecipes.com.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIZZA with ROSEMARY




INGREDIENTS

1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
salt and black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 (16 ounce) package refrigerated pizza crust dough, divided
1 tablespoon cornmeal
2 tablespoons grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

*I also added 1-2 oz crumled blue cheese once it came out of the oven to give it more "kick". 




DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Place sliced onion and squash in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; toss to coat.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until onions are lightly browned and squash is tender; set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into an 8 inch round. Place the rounds on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal (you may need 2 baking sheets depending on their size). Distribute squash mixture over the two rounds and continue baking for 10 minutes, checking occasionally, or until the crust is firm. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining tablespoon olive oil. Cut into quarters, and serve.


PERSONAL NOTES:

Using the pre-made pizza dough was the right way to go.  It really cut down on prep time.  I stand by what I said earlier; it's dangerous for me to keep it in the house.  I end up wanting to use it all the time (and thus be eating it all the time!). So far, this has been used well within reason.  No overindulgences.  And while I really did enjoy the overall flavor of the pizza, I probably wouldn't make it all that often - in an effort to keep away from the breads. At least a little bit.

Oh, I should also mention you may want to sprinkle an ounce or two of crumbled blue cheese on top of the pizza to give it a little more kick. I felt it really needed it. I was glad I did that!