Tuesday Tastings: Butternut & Blue Cheese Pizza

I could probably eat a butternut squash every single day. Especially when it’s chilly out, there’s nothing I love more than when it’s roasted until caramelized and sweet, tossed with sea salt and sage… nothing that is, except for when those same flavors meet my other all-time favorite (do I even have to tell you that it’s pizza?) This pie combines roasted butternut squash with creamy gorgonzola and peppery arugula; a marriage that may sound unlikely but becomes the most amazing flavor combination when it’s hot off the grill. If you haven’t read my ultimate pizza grilling guide, that’s a good place to start… and this mix of ingredients just might become your new favorite in your winter pizza arsenal. Keep reading for the recipe!

Butternut & Blue Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 ball pizza dough (homemade or store bought), at room temperature
• 1 butternut squash, neck only, cut into 1/2″ pieces
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• kosher salt
• 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, grated
• 1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola
• 2 cups arugula
• maldon sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine butternut squash, 1 tablespoon olive oil, maple syrup, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and toss to combine.
2. Cover a baking sheet with foil (to make cleanup easier), and spread butternut squash evenly on sheet pan. Roast for about 30 minutes until tender and caramelized on edges, tossing a couple of times during baking. Remove from oven and transfer to a prep bowl to take out to the grill.
3. Preheat the grill: one side should be at the highest temperature possible (we bring ours up to 600 degrees) and the other side should be on low heat. On a lightly floured cutting board, roll dough into a 10-inch free form circle as thinly as you can. Even thickness is key, but don’t worry too much about if it’s round, oval or rectangular…it should look “rustic!” Place on a sheet pan or cutting board, with sheets of parchment paper layered between stacked crusts.
4. Gather all your toppings (butternut squash, gorgonzola and mozzarella) and head out to the grill. Using my pizza grilling technique, grill the first side of the pizza. Flip when ready, then top crust with squash and cheeses. Close hood, and when the cheese is melted, transfer pizza to a cutting board.
5. Top pizza with arugula and sprinkle with maldon salt. Cut into wedges and serve.

*photos by Camille