A fully loaded autumn pizza covered in three cheeses, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and spicy sausage. Fresh sage brings it all together for a complete blast of Fall on your taste buds!
My son is obsessed with the holidays. He’s definitely mine. He is finally at the age where he gets it, and gets crazy excited for it. He’s started a Christmas list already. We told him no more toys at this point, and anything he wants hes going to ask Santa for. But he’s three, so he wants everything, and his list gets longer every day. It’s so cute hearing his excitement though! This weekend he asked if we could make Christmas cookies, while wearing his superhero costume. The kid hasn’t even gotten past Halloween yet, but he’s ready for it all.
Speaking of Halloween, he’s gotten two costumes, and he wears them all day long, switching back and forth between them. He tries really hard to wear his brothers, buuuut hes a wee bit taller. Having kids around the holidays makes it even more magical. We went into lowes the other day, and it looks like the elf’s threw up in there. It’s floor to ceiling all things xmas. My kids eyes lit right up, they were in such awe, they didn’t say a word, they didn’t even try to escape the carriage. That’s saying something. I just pushed them around through it for 20 minutes while they stared and ‘ooooh’ the whole time. It’s getting me excited and I’m not one to rush the holidays.
Although according to timehop, three years ago today, I was already listening to xmas music. So there’s that too.
But I’m trying to slow it all down, and appreciate the moment. I’m equally as excited for Halloween & Thanksgiving. My in-laws are flying out for it, so it’ll be nice to have some family here. This will only be my second time cooking a thanksgiving dinner…eeks. We’ve always gone to my parents house, so I’m pretty excited. (& Id be lying if I said I wasn’t already thinking about the menu. too soon?)
But lets back up and talk about this autumn pizza for a sec! My husband says its like a bite of thanksgiving, and while I see where he’s coming from, and it kindaaaa does, I think it’s missing a few key turkey day components. So I’m sticking with my harvest pizza!
This little, I mean big, baby is loaded. Its covered in pesto, three melty cheeses, sweet butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, some spicy sausage for a little kick and balance, and finished off with fresh sage. There is no skimping on these toppings! It’s filling and so tasty, with lots of different flavors! You’ll love it!
A fully loaded autumn pizza covered in three cheeses, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and spicy sausage. Fresh sage brings it all together for a complete blast of Fall on your taste buds!
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active fry yeast
- 3 Tablespoons honey, divided
- 2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour, plus more for kneading
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 spicy sausage links, removed from casing
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash
- 2 cups sliced brussels sprouts
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 6-8 fresh sage leaves, minced (plus a few extra whole leaves for topping)
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 8 ounces fontina, shredded
- 8 ounces freshly shredded Parmesan
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- Cornmeal
Directions
- Dissolve the yeast and 1 TB honey in the warm water. Set aside for ten minutes until foamy.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the four, rosemary, thyme, and salt. Add the olive oil, and 2 TB honey. Using a wooden spoon stir int he yeast mixture until shaggy. Transfer to a lightly floured or olive oiled surface and knead for 4-5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place in a well oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubles in size, 1-2 hours.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the spicy sausage. Break it up as you're cooking it so it is in small pieces. Once cooked through, remove from heat and set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat up 1TB olive oil. Add the shallot, butternut quash and brussels sprouts. Toss together, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until fork tender, tossing frequently.
- Stir in the brown sugar, nutmeg, and minced sage, cook for 1-2 minutes more until the sugar is caramelized and fully coating the veggies. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Roll your dough out into a large rectangle. Invert a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place the dough on it. Spread with a thin layer of pesto. Sprinkle on half of the cheese.
- Layer on the butternut squash mixture, followed by the sausage. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Drop the ricotta in small spoonfuls around the top of the pizza. Top with remaining sage leaves.
- Pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!