Butternut Squash Pizza with Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprouts, Hazelnuts & Dates
The inspiration for this pizza was simple. We were muddy, wet and freezing after we spent the afternoon ripping out hundreds of tomato and pepper plants from the upper field. I’ve never been fond of cleanup work at the farm and I always dread when the time comes to buck up and just do it. Unlike the spring which is full of hope and excitement, cleanup work in the fall is a pain and full of an “I’m over this” mentality. The only motivation to work hard and fast is the promise of a hot meal and a pumpkin beer when the chores are done. Thankfully, Taylor and I know how to bust ass when we are famished and thirsty!
This farm fresh pizza is just what the doctor ordered. Sweet and creamy butternut squash pairs so nicely with the maple-glazed brussels sprouts and crunchy hazelnuts. If you have a creamy goat cheese on hand that would be nice here as well (we were fresh out). Honestly though, this pizza is pretty darn perfect as is. The flavors and textures are out of this world and I’m excited to have this new combination in our fall/winter pizza rotation.
If you are in need of a cozy pizza night spent at home you’ve come to the right place. I hope you all enjoy this pie as much as we do. This meal tastes best with a pumpkin beer and good company. Cheers!
Butternut Squash Pizza with Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprouts, Hazelnuts & Dates
Prep Time: 15 mins. Cook Time: 20 mins. Serves: 1 pizza
- 1 ball of pizza dough-homemade or store bought
- 2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash, about 1/2 inch- 1 inch size cubes (the smaller the faster they will cook up!)
- 1 1/2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half (for larger sprouts quarter them)
- 3/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (divided) + additional for baking
- 1- 1 1/2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- small pinch of cinnamon
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup dates, pitted and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Sea salt to finish
- Minced parsley for serving (optional)
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Toss cubed butternut squash with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Place on a prepared baking sheet.
- Toss brussels sprouts and onion with remaining 1 Tablespoon oil and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper and place on a separate prepared baking sheet. Place both baking trays of vegetables in the oven and roast until squash is fork tender and brussels are lightly browned. About 18-20 minutes. Toss veggies halfway through cooking. Keep a close eye on the onion and remove it from the oven sooner if it starts to burn.
- Once butternut squash is cool enough to handle place it in a food processor or blender with a pinch of cinnamon and process until smooth. Add a little vegetable stock or almond milk to the squash if it needs a little more liquid to puree. (If you do this, add only 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency-it should still be a thick sauce)
- On a floured surface roll out your pizza dough. Spread the butternut squash evenly and top with brussels, onion and dates. Sprinkle with a small amount of crushed red pepper flakes, drizzle of olive oil and a few pinches of sea salt. Bake in the oven until the crust is browned on the edges. About 10-15 minutes (depending on your dough). When pizza looks like it is almost done remove it from the oven and evenly sprinkle the hazelnuts. Place back in the oven for a few more minutes or just until the hazelnuts begin to brown. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Taste test as you go. *Have fun in the kitchen and switch things up to your liking.
what a flavorful pizza. The addition of maple syrup dates and hazelnuts was an awesome suprise! This sounds right up my alley. Thanks for sharing
WOW! I have been searching for a recipe that my family would enjoy using brussel sprouts…FOUND IT!! Yum
You had me at maple glazed Brussels sprouts! We always roast with the same olive oil and spices, but I definitely want to try this sometime. Bookmarking for the future – possibly this weekend!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it. However, my boyfriend is allergic to hazelnuts – do you have a suggestion for something else that would be a good replacement?
try walnuts or pecans!
What pizza dough do you recommend? The one in the pic looks amazing!!
Sprout stalks really are the coolest veggie ever.
This looks like the best pizza ever! So many of my favourite things on there!
I am such a big proponent of homemade pizzas, and I love finding new flavor combinations! This looks like the perfect fall-twist to one of my favorite dishes!
This is different. What a great idea.
I just made this pizza for dinner tonight and all I can say is: HEAVENLY!!!
Love Anderson Valley Brewing beer. If you can ever get there, they have a fun tasting with something like 16 beers, however its great that their stuff is available at the store. Keep supporting rural businesses. They provide jobs in a town with limited prospects .
SO making this tonight! probably going to sub walnuts as that is what we have on hand.. I don’t know why I haven’t made pizza recently! It’s wonderful 🙂
We made this last night and added goat cheese, which I would list as a required ingredient for making it awesome. In order to get the butternut squash to blend, I added a little cream. Admittedly, I am not good at rolling out pizza dough, so I got a large thin pizza crust from Papa Murphy’s for three bucks, and it worked perfectly.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this. You adjustments sound wonderful too!
Such a wonderful Autumn pizza. I love sprouts but I still need to try them on pizza!!
This was hands down one of our favorite pizza’s to date! We added goat cheese and the flavor was incredible. Thanks so much for this!
I’m so happy you loved this as much as we do! Cheers!
This is a great recipe. We make a lot of pizzas and this is one of our favorites.
so happy you love this pizza as much as we do!
I don’t have any male syrup so I’m gonna try to re create with some balsamic reduction. I think it’s gonna be magical