I made these Butternut Squash Mini-Pizzas for a post-Valentine day potluck that we hosted at our house last night. It was a way to celebrate Valentine’s for those of us who have small children and no baby-sitters. We just wanted to say that we did something special for Valentines, even though we had a dozen loud kids hijacking our not-so-romantic party.  I can’t complain about it, I know that they are little for such a short period of time and someday I am really going to miss this beautiful chaos.

These were enjoyed by both adults and kids and they were the first dish to disappear, followed by my dairy-free, refined sugar-free fudge. The toppings can be varied to your likings. I like the pesto/butternut squash combination and it makes it so that you don’t really need to add cheese to it, but it can be made with more traditional ingredients as well: tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, etc. If you are using meats, onions, or other veggies, cook them before adding them to the pizza because they will take longer to cook than the squash crust.

For other grain-free pizza ideas try my Portobello mini-pizzas, meatza or cauliflower pizza crust.

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash, choose one with a wide and long neck, as the round and bulging side is hollow and cannot be sliced into rounds

6-8 ounces of dairy-free pesto ( See recipe below)

2 sliced Roma tomatoes

4-6 ounces of cooked nitrate free sausage or grilled veggies

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Peel the squash ( I use a potato peeler) and slice the top part into ¼ inch thick rounds.
• Arrange rounds on a greased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Spread the pesto sauce over each round.
• Add toppings and bake until squash is soft.

To make the pesto blend 1/2 cup of basil leaves,  1/3 cup of pine nuts
1/4, 1-2 garlic cloves
,1/4 cup of olive oil, and salt to taste until creamy.

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Butternut Squash Mini-Pizzas

Author: Edible Harmony

Cuisine: Paleo

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 4-8

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, choose one with a wide and long neck, as the round and bulging side is hollow and cannot be sliced into rounds
• 6-8 ounces of dairy-free pesto ( See recipe below)
• 2 sliced Roma tomatoes
• 4-6 ounces of cooked nitrate free sausage or grilled veggies

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Peel the squash ( I use a potato peeler) and slice the top part into ¼ inch thick rounds.
3. Arrange rounds on a greased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Spread the pesto sauce over each round.
6. Add toppings and bake until squash is soft.

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