Butternut Squash-and-Red Onion Pizza

We're finally back with another new pizza to share for our weekly Friday Pizza Nights! While we've continued to make pizza on Friday, these past couple of weeks have been easy repeats from the past out of necessity and comfort. I don't think Jeff would have described this Butternut Squash-and-Red Onion Pizza as one that would be ideal for him because I definitely got "the look" when I said "Hey, guess what we're having on pizza tonight? Squash!". I just took it in stride and replied "too late... that's all we got!" - hee hee!

Since the squash would take too long to cook if it was thrown on the dough raw, the cubes are roasted to give them a head start. It won't take too long since the oven is already headed at a fairly high temperature to cook the pizza - we did drizzle the cubes with oil, then seasoned then with fresh thyme, salt and black pepper. Rosemary also might be nice instead of thyme, or you could forgo both for a more pure flavor.

With the squash roasted to a light golden brown, yet not completely tender, we stretched our favorite homemade whole-wheat dough into a large rectangle on top of a piece of parchment, then slathered the top with a wicked combination of extra-virgin olive oil, a large clove of garlic and chopped fresh parsley. So the toppings can visually shine on top, the cheese goes onto the dough first - we used mozzarella, diced into small cubes and scattered all over.

After the cheese, we took thin slices of red onion and radicchio and dressed them with a smidge more of that fruity oil, then added the squash right into that same bowl and arranged the vegetables over the cheese. Slid onto the same sheet we roasted the butternut on, the pizza bakes until the cheese bubbles and oozes over the bottom, the squash finishes roasting through and the crust turns golden and crisp.

I decided to take a few bites before Jeff did just to see if I had better figure out something else for him in a hurry, but when I found how the sweetness of the tender golden squash turned out to be just the right contrast to the slightly bitter radicchio and pungent onion, I had a feeling Jeff just might dig this after all. And with a gooey pool of melt-y mozzarella underneath, how could he not? And guess what? He loved it and even took a trip back for seconds - will wonders never cease!

Recipes
Butternut Squash-and-Red Onion Pizza