Butternut and Blue Cheese Pizza

This pizza is absolutely delicious! The crust recipe that I followed for this recipe came out much more like a pizza dough than the previous dough recipe I used for my cajun shrimp flatbread. The dough also has a slight sweetness from honey that is mixed right in.

I love the simplicity of the ingredients used to make this pizza. The sweet, colorful and somewhat garlicky butternut squash puree, the richness of the mozzarella and the strong but wonderful flavor of the blue cheese all work together to make a perfect bite each time you sink your teeth into a slice.

I got two thin crust pizzas out of this recipe, which I prefer to one large, but thick pizza. The dough gets nice and crispy on the outside and stays somewhat doughy and soft on the inside. 

I was missing my pizza stone though. I do not have one at my beach house and it makes such a difference when baking a pizza. If you do not have one, I strongly urge you to buy one!

You are going to love this pizza. It is simple, quick and so delicious. You get plenty of protein from the combination of cheeses and many vitamins from the nutritious butternut squash. I hope you enjoy!

Butternut and Blue Cheese Pizza:

(original recipe from: http://naturallyella.com)

Pizza Dough:

3/4 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1. In a large bowl combine the honey, water and yeast and stir with a wooden spoon. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is foamy. Using the wooden spoon stir in the olive oil, salt and flour until just combined.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until the dough forms a ball. Transfer the ball of dough to an oiled bowl, turning the dough once to cover all sides in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for one hour.
3. After one hour, punch down the dough and let rise for another 20 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a flat disc. Transfer to a baking sheet that have been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Topping:

2 cups butternut squash puree

2 garlic cloves

1 rosemary sprig

1/2 cup blue cheese

1/2 - 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add in peeled and diced butternut squash. Let cook until the butternut is tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer the squash to a food processor and add in the garlic cloves and rosemary. Blend until the mixture is well combined and smooth.
3. Top the dough with the butternut puree, leaving a thin border around the edges. Top with mozzarella cheese and the blue cheese. Bake at 450° for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are crispy and the cheese is melted. 
4. Cut into slices and serve!