Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto White Pizza

I don’t often make pizza at home as we have a gourmet pizza shop blocks away. The other night, however, I had a tube of the new Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust, and felt like giving it a twirl. As it’s a thin crust, I set out to make a pizza saturated with many dimensions of flavor, but also lightweight on the toppings. How to do so? A few pulses through the blender and I created a sauce that’s not only good for a light white pizza, but also as a base for macaroni and cheese. A search through our fridge revealed a butternut squash, a couple sweet white onions, a few slices of thinly sliced prosciutto, and a 12 ounce bag of shredded mozzarella cheese. These are a few of my favorite things, and I crafted a recipe to combine them into one easy-to-eat pie.

The recipe is sorted into three parts for the sake of preparation, but as all main processes appear to conclude within minutes of each other, I was preparing and cooking all at the same time.

Note: This recipe makes about a blender’s worth of sauce. If you don’t need this much sauce, cut ingredients of each recipe in half.

Butternut Squash 
1 medium butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt & pepper

Set oven temperature to 400 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Place both squash halves on a baking sheet, flesh side up. Place a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of garlic in each squash indentation. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Place in oven and bake for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. The flesh will be tender to a fork test and the skin will be blistering.

Onions 
6 tablespoons Newman’s Own Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 sweet white onions, sliced into thin ringlets
Leaves plucked from a sprig of fresh rosemary

Heat oil in a medium non-stick skillet over med-low heat. Scatter onions into the skillet and toss to coat with oil. Sprinkle rosemary over the onions. Once onions begin to tan their white complexions, reduce heat to low, and continue to gently brown them for about 45 to 60 minutes, minding them with a stir every few minutes. If any start to burn, lower heat. When colored a deep caramel remove from heat and set aside.

Prosciutto 
2 tablespoons Newman’s Own Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 pound prosciutto, cut into 1-inch pieces

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet at medium-low. Add prosciutto and toss to coat with oil. Brown meat until it turns tough and deep red. Cover a plate with a couple paper towels. Scatter meat onto the towels to rest and release some of the oil. It’s crispy like bacon, so try to resist eating it all before constructing the pizza!

White Pizza Sauce 
4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup cheese

Heat butter to melting in a non-stick skillet over a medium heat. Sprinkle the flour in the pan. Use a whisk to marry the butter and flour until the flour is golden. Reduce heat to low. Slowly whisk in the milk, careful to not curdle the milk (remove pan from heat if necessary until milk acclimates to heat). Whisk until flour dissolves into a smooth sauce. Sprinkle cheese into the sauce and continue to whisk slowly until sauce reaches a medium thickness. Keep over a very low heat to keep warm.

Now comes the easy part! Spoon onions into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth and broken up. Pour in the sauce and pulse to blend. Now add the squash and its garlic butter a few scoops at a time, pulsing between each.

Pizza 
1 can Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust
1/2 cup white pizza sauce
3+ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
prosciutto

Assemble pizza crust according to the directions on the container. Spread sauce evenly onto dough, and top with cheese, prosciutto, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Bake according to package instructions. Serve this rustic style pizza immediately.

Results 
I’m not one to pick-eat while I cook — taste, yes — more often than not, I simply look forward to the final product and rely on the aromas to satiate until that reward. This recipe turned me around! I “tested” everything a few times over…

The crust is thin, crisp and buttery. The sweetness of the onions and squash are a suitable match for the salty prosciutto. When I make it again I may add Feta cheese for additional salty flair.