Gouda, Bacon and Butternut Squash Pizza
Many, many years ago…
…in a land before time. I’m kiiiidddddinnnnggggg.
Let’s say more like 5 or 6 years ago, in a land called New York City, I developed this gouda, bacon and butternut squash pizza recipe for my site. The recipe is great! In fact, it’s better than great. It’s delicious, perfect for crisp fall evenings (especially when paired with a hard apple cider or pumpkin beer) and just packed with all the right flavors. The crispy bacon, the sweet apples, the creamy squash, the melty cheese on top, the fresh thyme. I mean, I’m drooling just typing that sentence. The only problem? The pictures. They looked like they belonged more in a haunted house than they did any civilized fall dinner menu. So the recipe got saved in Google drive, the pictures were deleted and the post was taken down but with the vow that I would re-do the photos at a later date. Well, somehow a lot of years went by, I continued making the pizza, but somehow I just never managed to get the photos re-done.
Until last month, when all the pizza stars aligned. It was pizza Friday night, Dave had brought home some hard pumpkin ciders, I had just cooked a butternut squash, and somehow, by some weird miracle/coincidence we just so happened to have all the other pizza ingredients on hand. It was a sign.
So, finally, after way too long and way too many years where you’ve all been so tragically deprived of this epic fall pizza recipe (I’m sorry, please forgive me?!), I present to you the new and improved (Yup, even the recipe got a few little upgrades!), butternut squash pizza recipe. I promise the wait was worth it.
Gouda, Bacon + Butternut Squash Pizza
serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 recipe of pizza dough (you can find my go-to no-knead easy recipe here)
1 cup cooked butternut squash (see notes)
1/2 pound bacon (I like to use thick cut but any type is great), chopped
1/2 a small onion, or 1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 small apple, chopped into thin, small pieces
2 cups shredded gouda cheese (I like to use smoked, but regular works great, too)
Balsamic vinegar glaze or balsamic vinegar
Fresh thyme
Salt + pepper
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven or grill to 425 (instructions can be found here).
Roll pizza dough onto pan (skillet, baking sheet, etc.) of choice. Spread the butternut squash puree evenly over the top. Set aside.
In a medium-sized skillet set over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until it’s golden brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Meanwhile, add the onion and apple to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Top the pizza with the sautéed onion and apple, then the bacon pieces and finish with the gouda cheese. You can either drizzle with balsamic vinegar now, or finish with a glaze post-baking.
Bake 15-20 minutes (depending on type of pan used), or grill for 7-9 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling and golden brown on top.
Top with balsamic glaze (if you didn’t add vinegar prior to baking), fresh thyme, a sprinkle of salt and fresh ground pepper. Enjoy!
NOTES
For the butternut squash, I simply cook a squash, let it cool slightly, then scoop the amount I need right onto the pizza. I like that it’s a little bit chunky, but if you prefer something smoother, you can puree it in a blender or food processor before putting it on the pizza crust. You can also buy the squash already cooked, and in a pinch (aka you don’t feel like waiting for a butternut squash to cook), you can always use pumpkin puree instead.
For the balsamic glaze, I like to make my own by simply reducing balsamic vinegar in a skillet, over medium-low heat, until it’s thick. However, you can also buy it pre-made.
A few additional topping and/or swap suggestions- try sage instead of thyme, for a little added crunch you can add some chopped, toasted walnuts, instead of bacon try prosciutto or pancetta and, in addition to the gouda cheese, add dollops of ricotta cheese on top, too, or better yet, fresh burrata. Yum!
