Photo: Lunds & Byerlys
Move over candy and caramel apples. Halloween has a new favorite treat, and it’s ghoulishly good! This pizza is packed with rich fall flavors and better-for-you ingredients, like butternut squash, fresh herbs, crispy kale and pumpkin seeds. The tangy goat cheese perfectly balances the lightly sweet squash, and prep is scarily simple, too—15 minutes and a handful of wholesome ingredients are all you need to get this homemade pizza in the oven. (And it has mozzarella ghosts!)
Spooky Squash and Goat Cheese Pizza
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 sweet onions, sliced thin
• kosher salt, to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh sage, minced
• black pepper, freshly ground and to taste
• 2 pizza crusts
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella
• ¼ cup raw pepitas
• ½ bunch purple kale, stemmed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Heat oven to 425 F. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well-browned and caramelized, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and sauté until golden and fragrant, 2 minutes. Remove pan from the heat. In a medium bowl, toss together the butternut squash, 2 tsp. olive oil, sage, rosemary and thyme. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer the squash to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roast, turning halfway through, until just fork-tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Place the pizza crusts side by side on a large baking sheet. Spread the caramelized onions over the crust, leaving a ½-inch-thick border around the edges. Divide, and scatter the goat cheese on top. Slice the fresh mozzarella into 8 ¼-inch-thick circles. Using a small cookie cutter or a paring knife, cut each slice into the shape of a ghost. Place 4 ghosts on each pizza. Place 2 pepitas on each ghost to create eyes. Divide and scatter the remaining pepitas and butternut squash all over the pizzas, leaving the ghosts uncovered. Transfer the pizzas to the oven and bake until the mozzarella is melted and the crusts are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. In a small bowl, toss together the kale, apple cider vinegar and remaining 1 tsp. olive oil. Scatter the kale onto the pizzas and around the ghosts. Serve hot.
Katie Tomsche is the content manager for Lunds & Byerlys. Taste more at lundsandbyerlys.com.
