Pesto Pizza with Butternut Squash

I think it would be good if time just stood still for a little while. There's always too much to do and not enough time to do it in. After throwing my daughter's 2nd birthday party last weekend, it took my house days to recover from all the mess I made in the kitchen. I'm not even fully recovered yet. I came down with a nasty cough because I was doing too much and not sleeping enough and my body is just worn out. So, time can just stand still while I crawl into bed and recover.

Needless to say, meals have been pretty simple around here for the past few days; leftovers, soup, peanut butter sandwiches....

However, I did buy some fresh basil last week in anticipation of making this pizza and it was calling my name last night. This pizza totally hit the spot. I love basil to begin with but anything with pesto, sign me up! The combination of flavors here is perfect. Who would have thought butternut squash would work well on pizza but it really does. This recipe calls for Gouda cheese, which I happened to have some leftover from a previous meal, but you could substitute another soft mild cheese such as mozzarella or provolone. If you can't find fresh basil to make a pesto, you can use store bought.



Pesto Pizza with Butternut Squash
1 recipe Perfect Pizza Crust
6 (1/4-inch-thick) slices peeled butternut squash or pumpkin (about 1/2 pound)
2 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. olive oil
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Fontina or Gouda cheese
1 (14.5-ounce) can finely chopped tomatoes, drained (or 2 medium fresh tomatoes)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 cup basil pesto (recipe to follow)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese

Make the pizza dough and set it aside to let it rise. While it is rising, place the squash on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sugar and toss to coat. Cook on 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Roll out pizza dough on pizza pan or stone and sprinkle cheese over it, leaving a 1/2-inch border; top with squash mixture, tomatoes, and oregano. Drop pesto by level teaspoons onto mixture; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 425° for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Basil Pesto (Joy of Cooking)
2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts (walnuts work too)
2 medium cloves garlic,
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup olive oil

Process first 4 ingredients in a blender to a rough paste. With the machine running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube. Add a little more oil if sauce seems too dry (it should be a thick paste). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate up to a week or store in the freezer.


SOURCE:Adapted from Cooking Light on myrecipes.com

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