Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Pizza

I made this combination of flavors into soup, pasta, and salad before I finally landed on combining these flavors into this Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Pizza. My favorite salad on repeat this fall is arugula with roasted squash, cheese, and hot honey which prompted me to attempt a butternut squash chowder (which may still happen). When I made the chowder, I wanted to mimic the flavor of bacon that is traditionally in chowder so I used mushrooms with a mixture of savory and smoky flavors with sage to build flavor in the soup. I loved the smoky sage mushroom mixture but didn’t love the final soup result. And so I had to brainstorm how I could carry this delicious combination flavor in a single vessel.

I don’t usually make pizza at home because it’s almost impossible to make pizza at home that compares to your favorite spot. For this reason we order an eggplant pie from Homeslice almost every weekend. But I thought, what the heck I’ll just get a store bought pizza dough and give it a shot. The result was the clear winner.

Pizza Steps:

The steps look a little lengthy but it’s nothing complicated. You make the squash and mushrooms and put them on a pizza. That’s it! The butternut squash and onions are tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted in the oven until soft and golden brown. After roasting they are pureed in the food processor with non-dairy yogurt nutritional yeast, and non-dairy milk into a smooth saucey butternut squash puree. I could eat this by the spoonful like baby food if it was socially acceptable.

While the butternut squash and onions are roasting, you can prepare the smoky sage mushrooms. The mushrooms are sautéed with a mixture of soy sauce, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and liquid smoke until cooked down and deeply brown. Sage is added and they are cooked for a couple more minutes before they’re removed from heat.

Once the butternut squash sauce and mushrooms are prepared, it’s time to make the pizza. Sprinkle a clean surface with a little all purpose flour and use your hands to spread and stretch the dough to a large rectangle. Now it’s baked without anything on it for 8 minutes so you get a well cooked, not soggy crust. After it is pre-baked, spread your butternut squash sauce evenly on the dough and top with the mushrooms. Return it to the oven for 8-10 more minutes until golden brown. Once the pizza is cooked, it’s topped with the dressed arugula, non-dairy feta, and hot honey (store bought or homemade). 

The flavor combination of this Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Pizza is impeccable – sweet creamy butternut squash sauce, smoky sage mushrooms, peppery arugula, salty feta, and a sweet and spicy drizzle. YUM!

Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Pizza

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• Author: kindrootsfood
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Pizza with creamy butternut squash sauce topped with smoky sage mushrooms, peppery arugula, salty feta, and hot honey drizzle.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Butternut squash sauce

• 1/2 butternut squash, 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 onion, cut into thick slices
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup-1 cup of non-dairy milk

Smoky Sage Mushrooms:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 oz. mushrooms, diced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 6 sage leaves, roughly chopped

Pizza

• Pizza dough (store bought or homemade) at room temperature
• 2 cups arugula drizzled with olive oil and sprinkle of salt
• 1/2 cup non-dairy feta
• 1/4 cup hot honey (store bought or homemade)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Toss the butternut squash, onion, salt, and black pepper and spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Roast for 30 minutes until butternut squash is soft and the veggies are starting to brown.
4. Put the butternut squash, onion, non-dairy yogurt, and nutritional yeast in a food processor and blend until thick and almost smooth. Begin to slowly drizzle in non-dairy milk until mixture thins out to a thick spreadable puree.
5. While the butternut squash is roasting, prepare the mushrooms. Combine soy sauce, maple syrup, paprika, and liquid smoke in a small bowl.
6. Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until shiny.
7. Add mushrooms and sauté for 5-7 minutes until beginning to brown.
8. Add the soy sauce mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
9. Add the chopped sage leaves and saute for 1-2 more minutes. 
10. Remove from heat and set aside
11. Once the butternut squash sauce and mushrooms are ready, increase the oven to 450 and use the same baking sheet.
12. Dust a clean surface with flour and using your hands spread the pizza dough into a rectangle that is about 9×15.
13. Bake for 8 minutes.
14. Remove from the oven and spread a layer of sauce (you may not use it all) and sprinkle the mushrooms evenly on the pizza.
15. Return to the oven for 8-10 minutes until the edges begin to brown.
16. Remove from heat and top of prepared arugula, non-dairy feta cheese, and a drizzle of hot honey.

• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 50
• Category: Main, pizza

Keywords: Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Pizza, Butternut Squash, Pizza