Pizza is always in season. It can be as healthy or as indulgent as you want. It can be simple, or a tasty way to use up leftovers. And while perfecting homemade pizza is tricky (since most home ovens aren’t equipped to conduct the super high heat needed to cook a restaurant-style pizza), there’s really no way to go wrong with bread, sauce, and toppings. With this Seasonal Squash and Bacon Pizza in particular, there’s no room for disappointment.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 delicata squash (or other seasonal squash)
- 2 tablespoons Imperfect Foods Olive Oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 bacon slices, or 8-9 pieces of Imperfect Bacon Ends and Pieces
- 1 pound ball of pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- ¼ cup pizza sauce
- ½ cup Imperfect Foods Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- ½ cup arugula
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Prepare your pizza toppings. Cut the delicata squash in half, lengthwise, and use a spoon to remove the seeds. Slice each half into ¼ inch slices. Arrange slices on a lined sheet pan and toss with 1 tablespoon oil and a sprinkle of salt. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.
- Place a cooling rack over another sheet pan and place bacon pieces on top. Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until crisp. If using full bacon slices, you may need to keep the bacon in the oven 3-5 minutes longer. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, coarsely chop into bits.
- Bump up the oven to 500° F.
- Leave a clean cast iron skillet (or baking sheet if you don’t have a cast iron) in the oven until the oven is finished preheating. This will ensure that the bottom of the pizza cooks completely.
- Meanwhile, roll or pull pizza dough into a 10×10” circle.
- Once your oven is heated, carefully remove your hot cast iron or baking sheet from the oven. If using a baking sheet, you may want to line it with parchment paper.
- Carefully add your pizza dough to your skillet or baking sheet. Quickly drizzle the remaining olive oil over the dough. Spread pizza sauce over dough, leaving ½ – 1-inch circumference for the crust. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Place delicata squash and bacon bits evenly over the pizza dough. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the crust has browned and cheese is melted. Sprinkle arugula over hot pizza to wilt. Crack pepper all over pizza if desired.
- Slice and serve while hot.
Recipe Notes and Variations
- If you’re already making homemade pizza, why not make your own sauce too? Start by combining a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 1 ½ tsp of sea salt. Beyond that, you can really make your pizza sauce your own. Try adding oregano, chopped anchovies, or caramelized onions.
- If you make your own sauce you’ll only need about a ½ cup for both pizzas. This means you’ll have plenty of sauce for pasta night tomorrow.
2 Comments
Anne S.
October 28, 2021 at 5:55 amIt would have been great if there was a label for each squash in the opening photo of squashes. A picture of the squash next to the name of the squash recipe would have greatly helped with the squash I D.
Imperfect Foods
November 18, 2021 at 12:45 pmWe appreciate this feedback!