This delicious pizza is, as its name suggests, for lovers of pizza (and tomatoes) everywhere. Packed with cheese, tomato sauce, and basil, the special pizza recipe you make from this recipe gives you an equally satisfying way to take home friends and family and wow them with your gourmet culinary skills. Yields two to three pizzas.
“Two words are the secret to how this pizza comes together — pizza dough and butternut squash. Combined, they make a powerfully delicious, yet easy, pie to eat on a lazy weekend. They make for a sensational pairing.”
Ingredients
:
- 4 tablespoons finely grated pecorino cheese, plus more for the top
- 4 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for the top
- 12 ounces butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
- 1 to 2 ounces fresh basil leaves
- 2 to 3 ounces mozzarella cheese, fresh or grated
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
-
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- To Make Pie Dough: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Spread grated cheese over the base of the baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine the butternut squash, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Coarsely mash the squash. Rub the squash mixture into the bottom and sides of the baking dish. Spoon the mixture over the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. When the cheese is nice and melted, season with 1 teaspoon salt.
- To Serve: While the pie is baking, chop the basil. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to its desired thickness, approximately ½ inch. Sprinkle the dough with all of the mozzarella, cilantro, and pepper. Spread the topping evenly with the butternut squash mixture. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the topping is bubbly and the cheese is bubbling around the edges. Remove from the oven and spread additional cheese on top of the top crust. Serve warm.