Roasted Winter Vegetable Pizza

Every summer I always forget how much I love winter squash, so fall is always full of pleasant surprises when I rediscover favorites like butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash. They’re hearty and healthy, and I love the caramelly sweetness that comes out when they’re roasted.

As soon as a saw the picture of a pizza with that tell-tale bright orange of butternut squash on Pinterest, I was caught. I glanced briefly at the linked recipe, but ended up just winging it.  This pizza is definitely one of my new favorite ways to eat squash!

Roasted Winter Vegetable and Bacon Pizza
inspired by marthastewart.com

What’s in it:

For a 10", relatively thin-crust pizza,
1 c of any mix of butternut squash, red potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, or any other squash or root vegetable that strikes your fancy, thinly sliced (chopped up leftover roasted veggies would be great too)
2 tsp olive oil or bacon fat + 1 tsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 pizza dough
1/3 c ricotta cheese
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c shredded cheese (I used a mix of fontina, gruyere and mozzarella)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375.  Coat vegetables with 2 teaspoons of olive oil or bacon fat, spread on a baking sheet, and roast until they are completely cooked through and begin to take on some color, about 10-15 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 525.  Stretch pizza dough out into a 10" round.  Brush lightly with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread ricotta evenly over the dough, then arrange vegetables and bacon on top.  Add cheese, then sprinkle the rosemary over it.

Bake until cheese starts to bubble and brown, about 10-12 minutes.