Butternut Squash, Wild Mushroom and Fontina Pizza

C – I wish I could be a vegetarian sometimes …

But, I tried it and couldn’t do it. I just didn’t have the support. I really didn’t know what to eat. Plus, meat tastes so good and it’s nutritious. Of course, there are times when I go vegetarian. Mostly by accident.

But, I don’t mind. This pizza recipe was me accidentally being vegetarian. It was a good accident.

Luke had suggested I make a butternut squash pizza with mushrooms and Fontina cheese. He really didn’t tell me anything else. Was there going to be meat on this pizza? There could be.

But, I really wanted to taste the mushrooms and butternut squash more than meat. Sausage would be good on this pizza. And, I could live without it.

The one thing I didn’t like about being vegetarian was missing meat. I was surprised when I ate this pizza. I didn’t miss meat. Of course, I spent as much money on exotic mushrooms as I would on meat. So, I will call it even.

The mushrooms really had a great taste to them. Cooking the mushrooms before placing them on the pizza really allowed the moisture to release. It allowed them to have a firm, chewy texture similar to meat.

This pizza was amazing. It might be my go-to Fall dish. It’s easy and filling. You can make everything ahead of time. Just assemble and bake in the oven. I loved the flavor combination.

Sweet caramelized onions with hearty mushrooms, sweet butternut squash with a ton of warm, gooey cheese.

Butternut Squash, Wild Mushroom and Fontina Pizza
Recipe type: Mains
Author:
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 12 mins
Total time: 42 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • ½ pizza dough recipe (see link below)
  • 1 cup butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¼ inch cubes
  • 1 Tbsp fresh thyme
  • 1 cup caramelized onions
  • 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
  • 2 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 4 small chanterelle mushrooms, quartered
  • ¼ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ¼ cup fontina cheese, shredded
  • 1 Tbsp fresh sage, chiffonade
  • ⅛ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, plus more for topping
  • ½ cup fresh baby arugula
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • Grapeseed oil as needed.
  • A pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees for one hour with pizza stone in place, before cooking pizza.
  2. Remove pizza dough from refrigerator one hour before cooking.
  3. Meanwhile, place a tablespoon of grapeseed oil in a medium-high saute pan. Place butternut squash in pan. Add salt and pepper to taste along with fresh thyme leaves. Cook until caramelized. About 15 minutes.
  4. In a separate pan on medium high, place grapeseed oil pan. Add cremini mushrooms cook until golden brown. Remove from pan.
  5. In the same pan add more oil. Add the shitake mushrooms to pan and cook until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
  6. In the same pan add more oil. Add chanterelle mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
  7. One hour after dough is out of refrigerator, place bread flour on a working surface and flatten pizza dough into 10-12 inch diameter. Place on a pizza paddle.
  8. Evenly spread caramelized onions over the dough.
  9. Evenly spread Fontina over top.
  10. Evenly spread mozzarella over top.
  11. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over top.
  12. Place mushrooms evenly over top of cheese.
  13. Place butternut squash evenly over entire pizza.
  14. Sprinkle sage over entire pizza.
  15. Sprinkle more Parmesan over top of pizza.
  16. Place in oven for 12 minutes. Turning pizza halfway around after 6 minutes.
  17. Remove from oven.
  18. Mix olive oil and arugula with a pinch of salt.
  19. Top arugula evenly over the pizza.
  20. Add Parmesan shavings, if desired
  21. Let cool for 5 minutes.
  22. Cut pizza in to slices.
  23. Serve immediately.
  24. Enjoy!

 

The sage and thyme really made it feel like I was eating Autumn. It’s a great pizza. I was full and still wanted more.

If you are looking for a vegetarian dish to please any meat lover, this is it. Loved it.