Rich’s diet, at the moment, is pretty strict. It’s healthy as all get out, but increasingly less fun as the weather changes and I’d like melted cheese and bread to be a part of every dinner, if possible. If it means I have to make two separate meals so I can get what I want, I’ll do it every once in a while. This pizza was one of those nights.
You should have seen the kids faces fall when I put dinner in front of them after telling them earlier it was “pizza for dinner”. They ate it, and liked it well enough, and my neighbor/recipe tester Becky loved it AS WELL AS her two year old daughter (feeding 2 year olds is terrible, so this really means something).
I love this recipe, a redo from years ago, because roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts are my favorite fall veggies, and with a whole wheat crust, melty cheese as well as stinky cheese, all the boxes are checked for a glorious combo meal. You could sub out the blue for something else, like gouda or goat cheese, and you could sub these fall veggies for others you might have around (onions, any type of squash or sweet potato, kale, collard greens, chard, spinach, etc). You could omit the chicken or sub for another protein; obviously it’s a highly customizable recipe.
I make my own whole wheat crust, because it’s easy. Find that recipe here. Flatbread is a word for pizza that’s not topped with mozzarella and tomato sauce (IMHO), so use your favorite “pizza” crust out there (cauliflower, GF, classic, whole wheat, purchased or homemade). You can buy your squash chopped as well as your sprouts, and your cheese pre-shredded. The ease of this recipe is one of the things I liked best about it.
Butternut and Brussels Flatbread with Mozzarella and Blue Cheese
Makes 1, 16 in. flatbread
1Â lb. whole wheat pizza dough
3 c. peeled butternut squash, finely diced
2 c. fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/4 c. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 c. chopped rotisserie chicken
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees, and place pizza stone in oven, if using.
2. Toss cubed squash and Brussels sprouts in 3 tbsp. of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on sheet pan for 20-25 minutes, stirring once, until golden brown and tender. Remove and increase oven heat to 450 degrees.
5. Press pizza dough out on parchment paper (if using stone) or on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal until its very thin (any shape, including round, will work).
6. Spread remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil across the surface of the dough. Spread chicken and about half of the mozzarella cheese over top.
7. Spread roasted veggies on top. Top veggies with remaining mozzarella and blue cheese.
8. Transfer parchment lined pizza using a peel or cutting board to pizza stone in oven, or place cookie sheet on a lower rack in 450 degree oven for 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling and crust is firm.
