roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions and prosciutto white pizza
Monday, December 8, 2008 at 2:44 AM | jenious I don’t often make pizza at home as we have a gourmet pizza shop blocks away. The other night, however, I had a tube of the new Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust, and felt like giving it a twirl. As it’s a thin crust, I set out to make a pizza saturated with many dimensions of flavor, but also lightweight on the toppings. How to do so? A few pulses through the blender and I created a sauce that’s not only good for a light white pizza, but also as a base for macaroni and cheese. A search through our fridge revealed a butternut squash, a couple sweet white onions, a few slices of thinly sliced prosciutto, and a 12 ounce bag of shredded mozzarella cheese. These are a few of my favorite things, and I crafted a recipe to combine them into one easy-to-eat pie.
The recipe is sorted into three parts for the sake of preparation, but as all main processes appear to conclude within minutes of each other, I was preparing and cooking all at the same time.
Note: This recipe makes about a blender’s worth of sauce. If you don’t need this much sauce, cut ingredients of each recipe in half.
Butternut Squash /
1 medium butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt & pepper
Set oven temperature to 400 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Place both squash halves on a baking sheet, flesh side up. Place a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of garlic in each squash indentation. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Place in oven and bake for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. The flesh will be tender to a fork test and the skin will be blistering.
Onions /
6 tablespoons Newman’s Own Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 sweet white onions, sliced into thin ringlets
Leaves plucked from a sprig of fresh rosemary
Heat oil in a medium non-stick skillet over med-low heat. Scatter onions into the skillet and toss to coat with oil. Sprinkle rosemary over the onions. Once onions begin to tan their white complexions, reduce heat to low, and continue to gently brown them for about 45 to 60 minutes, minding them with a stir every few minutes. If any start to burn, lower heat. When colored a deep caramel remove from heat and set aside.
Prosciutto /
2 tablespoons Newman’s Own Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 pound prosciutto, cut into 1-inch pieces
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet at medium-low. Add prosciutto and toss to coat with oil. Brown meat until it turns tough and deep red. Cover a plate with a couple paper towels. Scatter meat onto the towels to rest and release some of the oil. It’s crispy like bacon, so try to resist eating it all before constructing the pizza!
White Pizza Sauce /
4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup cheese
Heat butter to melting in a non-stick skillet over a medium heat. Sprinkle the flour in the pan. Use a whisk to marry the butter and flour until the flour is golden. Reduce heat to low. Slowly whisk in the milk, careful to not curdle the milk (remove pan from heat if necessary until milk acclimates to heat). Whisk until flour dissolves into a smooth sauce. Sprinkle cheese into the sauce and continue to whisk slowly until sauce reaches a medium thickness. Keep over a very low heat to keep warm.
Now comes the easy part! Spoon onions into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth and broken up. Pour in the sauce and pulse to blend. Now add the squash and its garlic butter a few scoops at a time, pulsing between each.
Pizza /
1 can Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust
1/2 cup white pizza sauce
3+ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
prosciutto
Assemble pizza crust according to the directions on the container. Spread sauce evenly onto dough, and top with cheese, prosciutto, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Bake according to package instructions. Serve this rustic style pizza immediately.
Results /
I’m not one to pick-eat while I cook --- taste, yes --- more often than not, I simply look forward to the final product and rely on the aromas to satiate until that reward. This recipe turned me around! I “tested” everything a few times over…
The crust is thin, crisp and buttery. The sweetness of the onions and squash are a suitable match for the salty prosciutto. When I make it again I may add Feta cheese for additional salty flair.
Reader Comments (52)
This looks so good, what a wonderful fall/winter dish. Yummy!
OMG, those toppings sound delish. I know what I'm making this week!
OMG, the title in itself is killer! I will have to try this one out - and I think even Grumpy won't gripe!! Looks and sounds delish!
Now that's a pizza! Great toppings.
This looks really good.
I never thought to put squash on a pizza but this looks wonderful!
It looks fabulous! The cheese made it looks delicious.
This looks so great! I think we were on the same wavelength with butternut squashes, and I'm all about incorporating them into other foods (pizza, mac n cheese, etc). Thank you so much for sharing - GREAT BLOG!
That looks delicious! I'd leave the onions out, just a preference - love it!
Happy Monday!
This looks fabulous, and I'm sure it's way less pricey than the gourmet pizza place!
Your right.. I think that I would like this very much! I just made a Focaccia alla Barese from one of Nick Malgieri's recipes.. it was all caramelized onions, green olives and anchovies and it was soooo good!
Thanks to all for your comments! This recipe is a few weeks in the making, so it's great to read this feedback.
Yes Elle, it was cheaper! :)
fabulous idea!
This sounds wonderfully outstanding! Thanks for sharing.
Now that is a tasty looking pizza!
What is white pizza sauce?
How totally creative and wonderful. I just figured out that I love white pizza - I always thought I hated pizza and now I know I just don't like tomato based sauce on it. This post is a fantastic example of one I would love. Nice!
I love white pizza and this sounds wonderful!
That looks so good! Now I'm even hungrier. I should always eat before visiting food blogs. That's great that Pilsbury came out with a thin pizza crust.
And thanks for dropping by my blog! I'm really excited about CupcakeCamp Boston!
Nate,
Thanks! I think of white pizza as pizza without the tomato sauce. There are a variety of recipes that qualify. My white pizza sauce is basically an Alfredo-like sauce, made with shredded mozzarella cheese instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
That looks really good. I like the topping choice, very different.
LOVE pizza and LOVE butternut, perfect combo!
ohhhhh, this looks yummy! what about trying smoked mozzarella? seems like that would be delicious with the butternut???
Thanks Tenina!
Cate, great idea! I like that addition more than my initial feta idea...Thanks :-)
beschamel for a topping? genius! i'm a bit hesitant on the use of pillsbury dough, but i'd give it a try if i had not time to wait for dough to rise.
We Are Never Full, I understand :-) It's a quick and tasty alternative to a homemade option.
Dear Jen!
Those caramelized onions are a great (French?) touch!
Careful on the salt, though!
My compliments!
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles
OMG that looks incredible!! I love white pizzas for a change once in a while and the flavours of the toppings just sound heavenly. I'd definitely add feta too next time :)
This looks so good and sounds good! I wl gv it a try..thanks
The pizza looks amazing. What a great idea! You have inspired me to go to the market to pick up some fresh ingredients and try this out myself! I think my family would love it for the Holidays! ^_^
The pizza looks wonderful! I love it when I see new pizza recipes :-) keep it up! :-)
Greetings to you all! Thanks for your kind & encouraging comments!
Kat, Let me know how it pans out for you!
Robert-Gilles, Yes, let's say it's a French touch :-)
A really delish pizza, excellent photography too, which evidently shows how nice the pizza turned out, even though I personally prefer them better done so that it golden's up on top I would definitely have a few slices of your ....fantastic...thanks for mail...hope you get the time to browse my blog too :)
Ricardo, I prefer crisp dough as well, though not sure the picture demonstrates how thin and crisp this dough really is :) Your enchilada recipe is making me hungry!
While I can't imagine using a Pillsbury pizza in a can, I like the overnight in the fridge long developed yeast flavor too much, the toppings sound delicious.
I've only recently gotten into 'white' pizzas.., this sounds fantastic - but, then anything with butternut and Prosciutto!
Katie, I'd had white pizza only a handful of times also! I relish the salty & sweet blend too :)
can't wait to try this! i'm sensing a butternut squash pizza/mac n cheese combo for this week :) i love it when an ingredient can go double duty for two great meals. thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Stephanie aka Lick My Spoon. I hope you enjoy the pizza and have fun creating additional dishes with the sauce! Just visited your site and love the pomegranate recipe!
I love those Pillsbury pizza crust dough too! I try to keep some on hand all the time, you can just do so much with them!
Hi Kim!
Yes, the dough is good to have on hand for those nights when making it from scratch isn't an option. Enjoy!!
Hi Jen! This sounds really delicious, and the picture is making me hungry. Never thought of blending up the onions but that's a good idea.
If you ever make it to Japan, we'll have to get together for some food and drink!
Melinda, The crust is light so I figured why not keep the toppings light also through blending, but still jam-packed with flavor. Thanks for the invitation!! Same to you if you are ever in the Boston area :-)
Yum, yum, yum! I cannot ecpress how yummy this looks. My mouth is watering!
This looks so very yummy! I can't wait to try it!
Emma & Jen H, Thanks to you both :-) The sauce is a combo of a few of my faves and when they are blended together, it's effortless eating! Enjoy.
I have been wanting to try this pizza for quite sometime & finally put it together last night! I won't be waiting so long to make it again! When making this pizza I was very curious to see how it would come together. Everything from the golden onions & very crispy prosciutto got my house smelling incredible! When I watched the dough turn brown & the cheese bubble & smells coming from my stove, I anxiously waited to enjoy a new & different pizza!
This pizza brought all the different taste together & when I bit into it the prosciutto was just crispy enough to taste through all the cheese & sauce!
Looking forward to using the leftover sauce with some whole wheat pasta!!
Thanks pal!