Vegan Butternut Squash Pizza
This colourful, nutritious vegan butternut squash pizza showcases all the delicious flavours of the fall season.
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There is never a time when we don’t want to eat pizza – it really is the perfect dish for every occasion! This delicious autumnal recipe uses seasonal vegetables such as butternut squash and kale to create a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds.
What we love about this recipe most is that it doesn’t require any shop-bought vegan cheese or even homemade vegan cheese! The creamy topping comes courtesy of sweet potato combined with garlic and herbs. Perfect for vegan cheese avoiders or anyone looking to enjoy a healthy, whole food plant-based diet.
How do you make dough for pizza?
Traditional pizza dough is very simple to make and is usually vegan-friendly. It has just five main ingredients – flour, oil, yeast, water and salt. The yeast reacts with the sugars and starches in the dough to create pockets of air so that the dough can rise.
For a light and airy pizza crust, knead the dough for around 4-7 minutes. If you knead it for too long, you will get more of a bread-like consistency. This recipe uses cornmeal, which will prevent your pizza dough from sticking to your pizza tray.
What are good vegan pizza toppings?
Another great thing about pizza is that you can top it with whatever you like. This can be a great way to use up leftovers and reduce food waste. A few ideas include:
• Sliced black olives, sweetcorn, mushrooms and peppers
• Caramelised onion and vegan feta
• Leftover cashew cheese with chopped tomatoes
• Broccoli cream, made with leftover broccoli (simply blend and use instead of cheese!)
• Toasted pumpkin seeds and roasted pepper
• Sundried tomatoes and roasted veg
• Spinach and mushroom
• Artichokes and grilled courgette
There really is no right and wrong when it comes to creating your vegan pizza!
Total Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Calories: 581
Servings: 4
Rating:
Total Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Calories: 581
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- For the dough
- 40 40 ml water
- 1.75 1.75 g fast-acting yeast
- 0.25 0.25 tsp sugar
- 50 50 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 0.25 0.25 tsp sea salt
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp olive oil
- 0.75 0.75 tbsp cornmeal
- For the topping
- 0.5 0.5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 0.25 0.25 tsp fresh thyme
- 0.25 0.25 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 0.25 0.25 tbsp dairy-free butter
- 0.25 0.25 red onion, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 a butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced
- 33.75 33.75 g kale, sliced
- 16.25 16.25 g pecans, chopped
- 18.75 18.75 g dried cranberries
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, to drizzle
Method
- Make the dough by mixing the water, yeast and sugar together. Set aside for a few minutes until foamy. Measure the flour into a large bowl and mix in the salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil and the yeast mixture. Mix well to combine before bringing together into a ball with your hands.
- Transfer to a floured surface and knead for around 7 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Coat the dough lightly with oil, return it to the bowl, cover with cling film and set aside in a warm place to rise for around an hour, or until doubled in size.
- Place the cubed sweet potato in a pan with a large pinch of salt. Cover with water, bring to a simmer and cook until tender. When cooked, drain really well and then mash until smooth. Stir through the thyme, crushed garlic and butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
- Heat a griddle pan and season the squash slices with salt and pepper. Drizzle each slice with a little oil and arrange them on the griddle. Cook for a few minutes on each side until tender.
- Place the kale in a colander and pour over a kettle full of boiling water to blanch it. Drain on a clean tea towel to remove excess water.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and a dusting of flour and cornmeal. Remove the risen dough from the bowl and place it on a worktop dusted with flour and cornmeal. Knock the air out of the dough and roll it out to a large rectangle or circle shape.
- Gently transfer the base onto a baking tray and spread the sweet potato mash over the top. Arrange the rest of the toppings over the mash and drizzle with olive oil. Transfer to the oven to bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Drizzle with a little more olive oil before serving.
Each 283g serving provides: 23g Fat, 2.7g Saturates, 20g Sugars, 1.8g Salt.
Ready to throw your next pizza party? Try making another one of our vegan pizza recipes!
