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Butternut Squash Pizza With Caramelized Onions

Do yourself a favor and put this butternut squash pizza with caramelized onions and an herb-infused crust on your next weekly menu.

The flavors in this fall-inspired pizza are a winning combo. It’s salty from the prosciutto, subtly sweet from the roasted squash, savory/umami from the caramelized onions, and earthy from the fresh rosemary and sage leaves.

Incorporating fresh rosemary into the homemade pizza dough was definitely the move. Homemade pizza is one of my favorite ways to play with different flavor combinations. When I need some inspiration, I’ll see what’s currently in season or in the fridge that needs to be used up and go from there.

Ingredients

  • Pizza dough – I love using homemade because it’s easy to make a batch and freeze half for later. But you can also use store-bought if you prefer.
  • Butternut squash.
  • Yellow or white onion – for the caramelized onions.
  • Proscuitto
  • Fresh rosemary and sage.
  • Garlic.
  • Cheese of choice – I used dairy-free mozzarella shreds.

See recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.

How to Make Butternut Squash Pizza

Cook the squash. Peel the butternut squash and then cut it in half down the middle before cutting it into thin 1/4-inch half-moon shapes. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading into a somewhat even layer. Bake for 25 minutes.

Make the caramelized onions. Do this while the squash cooks or make them ahead of time.

Make the herb-infused olive oil. Add fresh sage leaves, rosemary sprigs, smashed garlic cloves, and olive oil to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Let cook for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Assemble and cook. Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface, brush the top of the dough with the infused oil, followed by your cheese of choice, then add caramelized onions, prosciutto (optional), and roasted butternut squash slices. Bake at 500ºF for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Top with the oil-infused sage leaves.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this butternut squash pizza using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

  • No butternut squash? – use another type of winter squash instead such as delicata, kabocha, or pumpkin.
  • No onions? – use leeks or shallots instead.
  • No fresh sage? – fresh thyme, oregano, or tarragon are great options.
  • Gluten-free? – use your favorite gluten-free pizza dough.
  • Make it vegan – omit the prosciutto.

Top tip

If you don’t have a pizza stone, you don’t need to go buy one. Just use an inverted rimmed sheet pan (this is the method I’ve been using for years with great success). Sprinkle the pan with flour or cornmeal and then transfer the dough to the pan before adding the toppings – just be careful because the pan is really hot.

More Fall-Inspired Recipes

Butternut Squash Pizza With Caramelized Onions

5 from 8 votes
A beautiful fall-inspired pizza with butternut squash, caramelized onions, and fresh sage leaves.
Do yourself a favor and put this butternut squash pizza with caramelized onions and an herb-infused crust on your next weekly menu.
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 2 large pizzas

Ingredients
 

  • 1 batch homemade pizza dough you'll only use half
  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch half moons
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • caramelized onions
  • 2 cups cheese, plus more as needed I used dairy-free
  • 3 ounces proscuitto

Herb-Infused Olive oil

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • fresh sage leaves
  • fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  • Cook the squash. Peel the butternut squash and then cut it in half down the middle before cutting it into thin 1/4-inch half-moon shapes. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading into a somewhat even layer. Bake for 25 minutes until fork-tender but still holding their shape, then bump up the heat to 500°F.
  • Make the caramelized onions. Do this while the squash cooks or make them ahead of time. 
  • Make the herb-infused olive oil. Add fresh sage leaves, rosemary sprigs, smashed garlic cloves, and olive oil to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Let cook for 4-5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
  • Assemble and cook. Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface, brush the top of the dough with the infused oil, followed by your cheese of choice, then add caramelized onions, prosciutto, and roasted butternut squash slices. Bake at 500ºF for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Optional: broil for an additional 2 minutes. Top with the oil-infused sage leaves.
  • No pizza stone method: Preheat a rimmed sheet pan. Then invert it and sprinkle the surface with flour or cornmeal. Carefully transfer your rolled-out dough onto the floured surface, then brush with the infused olive oil followed by the toppings. Just be careful because the pan is really hot, so don't forget to use oven mitts when you put it in the oven.

Notes

My pizza dough recipe makes enough for 4 large thin-crust pizzas, so just freeze half to use later.
No butternut squash? – use another type of winter squash instead such as delicata, kabocha, or pumpkin.
No onions? – use leeks or shallots instead.
No fresh sage? – fresh thyme, oregano, or tarragon are great options.
Gluten-free? – use your favorite gluten-free pizza dough.
Make it vegan – omit the prosciutto.
5 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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