Acorn Squash & Apple Pizza

Going to bed at 8 am and getting up at 1:30 pm makes for a very weird day.  Regular food blogging shall return tomorrow!

Originally, I was planning on just throwing together a quesadilla or something for dinner, but I decided that I would feel better if I actually cooked a real meal on my first night back home.

I’ve been wanting to participate in Blogger Secret Ingredient for awhile now, so I decided that this was the week to finally submit a recipe.  Megan is hosting this week’s contest, and the secret ingredient is…. acorn squash.

And so, without further ado,  here is my recipe for

Acorn Squash and Apple Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3 small apples
• 1 pizza crust of your choice
• 3 oz. goat cheese
• 1 oz. gorgonzola
• 5 T. plus 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt, pepper, and cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Prepare your pizza crust.  I had this mix I needed to use up, but a handmade crust would work just as well.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Start by cutting the acorn squash in half and scooping out the seeds and stringy insides.  Remove the skin.
4. Cut the squash into small cubes (1/2 inch or less).
5. Toss the squash cubes with 2 tsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
6. Bake the acorn squash for 18 minutes. Keep the oven on, but increase the temperature to 450 degrees.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the onion. Remove the top and bottom, and cut the onion in half from top to bottom.  Thinly slice the onion, and cut the circular slices in half.
8. Heat 3 T. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onions, along with 1/8 tsp. salt.



9. Stir the onions regularly until they are softened and browned.  If they are sticking too much to the skillet, add a bit of water or white wine to “deglaze” the pan.
10. When the onions are caramelized to your liking, remove them from heat and place them in a separate bowl.
11. Slice the apples thinly.
12. Add another 3 T. olive oil to the skillet, and add the apples and 1 tsp. sugar when the oil is hot.
13. Similar to the process with the onion, stir the apples regularly until they are softened and browned, deglazing as needed.
14. When the apples are caramelized to your liking, remove them from heat.
15. Spread the goat cheese over the pizza crust.
16. Top with the apples, squash, and onions.  Sprinkle with gorgonzola.
17. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tagged as: Blogger Secret Ingredient, Fall Foods, Quick Recipe Vegetarian, Recipe