Early fall is a perfect time for combining butternut squash and pears, so why not bring them together on pizza. Roasted and mashed butternut squash becomes the base that gets topped with a little vegan mozzarella, sliced pears and red onions. Once baked, top it with arugula, bleu or feta crumbles and chopped walnuts. Add a little zing with red chili flakes or chili oil. Delicious! *I used Follow Your Heart mozzarella and bleu cheese crumbles.
INGREDIENTS
Premade or homemade pizza dough
3 cups butternut squash cubes
1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese shreds
1 Bartlett pear, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
Handful arugula(1.5 cups)
Olive oil
1/2 tsp vinegar(white balsamic/red wine/champagne)
1/2 cup vegan bleu cheese/feta crumbles
2-3 Tbsp chopped walnuts
Red chili flakes or chili oil for serving(optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss cubed butternut squash with 1 Tbsp olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mash, adding a little non-dairy milk, approximately 1-2 Tbsp, until mostly smooth. Set aside.
2. If using a pizza stone, place in oven and increase temperature to 500°F. If using regular pizza pan, increase heat to 450°F
3. Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface then transfer to pizza peel dusted with corn meal or to pizza pan. Brush with olive oil. Spread butternut squash over dough. Top with vegan mozzarella cheese. Toss pear slices in a drizzle of olive oil(1/2 tsp) then place in a single layer over cheese. Top with red onion and sprinkle a little salt over pizza.
4. Pizza Stone- using pizza peel, slide onto stone and bake 13-15 minutes. Pizza pan- bake 15-17 minutes.
5. Toss arugula with 3/4 tsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp vinegar of choice then place onto cooked pizza, followed by vegan bleu or feta cheese and chopped walnuts before slicing.
6. Serve with red chili flakes or a drizzle of chili oil if desired.