Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza

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While perusing the site real simple I came across a delicious ricotta butternut squash pizza.  Ricotta is one of my top 5 favorite cheeses but I wanted to change it up a bit, since we just indulged in my Eggplant Parmesan a few days ago. 

My girls adore making pizzas!!  

 It really brings out the creativity in kids, and allows them to 'play' with their food. When are kids actually allowed to play with their food? My kids sure as heck aren't, that's why this is extra special for them!  They love diving into the toppings, even if they don't like them, such as onions...see above! 

After the girls helped me assemble the pizza, hubby put the kiddos to bed and we had a nice pizza dinner for two! 

Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza

Yields a 10-inch pizza

Recipe created by Epicurean Mom

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough-pre-made or store bought

1 small onion, peeled and sliced 

13 fresh sage leaves, chopped plus a few whole leaves for garnish

1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1-inch squares

1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay diced butternut squash onto a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil.  Toss to coat.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until just tender. Let cool slightly.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until browning and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.  Set aside.

On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, pat out dough to form a 10-inch circle.  Make sure the sides are slightly thicker to form a crust.  Set aside until ready to assemble.  

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat, add chopped sage leaves.  Stirring constantly, cook until fragrant and starting to crisp, about 3 minutes.  Immediately take off heat and add 1 teaspoon minced garlic, stir until well combined.  

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  If using a pizza stone, preheat the stone with the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Pour sage mixture into a small cup, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread over the pizza dough with a basting brush.  Generously sprinkle dough with salt and pepper.  Add the caramelized onions, mozzarella and monterey jack cheese.  Evenly spread the butternut squash on top of the cheese and sprinkle with a few whole sage leaves.  

Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until a golden brown.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.