When an ingredient comes into season, you better believe I overdo it. Every. Single. Time. But seriously, that’s what we are supposed to do, right?! Eat local, eat seasonal. For our country, for our health.

The greatest part of this pizza is the pumpkin cream sauce. AKA the replacement tomato sauce. Garlic, thyme, homemade pumpkin puree, veggie stock, coconut milk. Simmer, simmer. Yes, please!

The crust – You can definitely buy store bought pizza dough and use that, but making your own dough is SO easy! You can find a recipe for flatbread in my blog post, found here.

The toppings – Originally, I made this pizza vegan, and I think I preferred it to the next one I made with mozzarella. The option is yours – leave out the cheese to have a completely vegan option (as seen below)!

Kale is another key topping here. As I always say, it is important to massage your kale before eating, and that applies to this recipe as well. Sprinkle it with some salt, drizzle with some olive oil and get in there with your fingers! It really helps to tenderize it and make it more pleasing to the palate.

Pumpkin – Along with the pumpkin cream sauce, I have also included roasted pumpkin chunks as a topping in this recipe. They add another layer and texture that does not disappoint and help give this ‘za it’s name!

This may just be a pizza recipe that you aren’t afraid to serve the kids!

Pumpkin and Kale Pizza

Serving Size: Makes 1 large pizza

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 300 g homemade or store bought pizza dough
• 1 pie pumpkin, seeds removed and sliced into 3/4-inch wedges (or 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and 3/4 cup sliced and cooked pumpkin chunks)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs of thyme, stem removed
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
• 2 leaves of kale, washed, dried and chopped roughly
• 125 g fresh mozzarella, sliced (optional)
• salt
• olive oil
• fresh basil for topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place your pumpkin wedges onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until fork-tender, flipping halfway. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Peel the skin off and discard. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
3. Place half of your roasted pumpkin pieces into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Slice the other half of the wedges into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.
4. Preheat a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Add one tablespoon olive oil followed by the minced garlic and thyme. Stir and let cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add in 1/2 cup of the pumpkin puree and the vegetable stock. Stir until combined and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Let simmer on a low heat until the cream sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.
5. Place your kale into a bowl with one teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Use your fingers to ‘massage’ the kale for one to two minutes. This helps to tenderize it. Set aside.
6. Flour your work surface and roll out your pizza dough. Spoon on the cream sauce and spread it onto the dough until fully covered, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around. Distribute your cooked pumpkin pieces and your mozzarella slices (if using) on top of your pizza. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, remove and add the massaged kale, and return to the oven for another 7-10 minutes or until crust begins to brown on the edges. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing.
7. Top with fresh basil, if desired!

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Ordering pizza has never really been something that I do very often. I guess because I don’t think about it. I guess because I like to cook. I guess because…I can make it myself?! And it’s SO easy, why wouldn’t I?? You are in full control this way. Healthy toppings or unhealthy toppings. Red sauce or white sauce. Meat or veggies. Cauliflower crust or wheat crust. You choose, babe. You choose.

So I like to call this recipe a “flatbread” because,

1. I don’t know the difference between flatbread and pizza (I won’t lie);

2. It comes across as more refined;

3. It sounds healthier for some reason, and;

4. It’s pretty flat, yo!

I start with just a basic dough recipe. Make this and chill it in a Ziploc bag overnight and the flavours meld together and it’s really quite magical. When you are ready to make some ‘za, pull it out of the fridge, roll it out and load it up with your choice of toppings, cook on high heat and in 10 minutes, you have amazing pizza.

The dough is simple. It is just flour (I use whole wheat), salt, olive oil, warm water and instant yeast. Toss it all into your stand mixer and then let it rise for an hour or two. This recipe will make one giant pizza, or three respectable-sized personal pizzas. I like to make three different types when I make this dough. Keep it interesting.

There are numerous combinations of toppings that I’ve tried in the past, and I am quite positive that I will be posting more flatbread recipes in the near future, but this one is in my Top 3. Sweet pears, flavourful caramelized onions, bubbly mozza cheese and peppery arugula. YUM! You literally cannot go wrong. Like, literally.

So grab your dough. Roll it out. Add my simple oil base (olive oil, garlic, dried basil, salt, pepper).

Top with onions, pears and cheese.

Bake at 500 degrees F. Remove. Arugula. Balsamic vinegar drizzle. Eat. Love your life.

Pear, Mozzarella and Caramelized Onion Flatbread

Serving size: 3-5 (Depending on whether you make it as a meal or a side)

Prep time: 12 hours (inactive time)

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Pizza:

• 4 tbsp olive oil, separated
• 1 large onion, sliced thinly
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• pinch of salt
• pinch of fresh pepper
• 2 bosc pears, sliced thinly
• 250 g mozzarella, cut into thin slices (fresh or balled mozzarella is best)
• arugula for topping
• balsamic vinegar for drizzling (optional)

Ingredients:

For the pizza dough:

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let sit for 10 minutes until the top looks foamy.
2. Add flour and salt to a stand mixer bowl attached with the dough hook. Turn the speed on low and in a slow, steady stream, drizzle the olive oil in until fully incorporated. Pour in the water/yeast mixture and mix until fully incorporated. You may need to scrape down the sides to help it come together. Dough will be sticky. Coat a large mixing bowl with olive oil and turn the dough into the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area for two hours.
3. After it has risen, you can roll it out and use immediately, but it is much better with more time to let the flavours develop. Place it in a large Ziploc bag and store in the fridge overnight or up to three days. Dough will continue to expand in the fridge.

For the pizza:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
2. In a pan over low heat, add two tablespoons of olive oil and the sliced onion. Let the onion cook and caramelize for about 20 minutes, stirring every so often. If you wish to speed up this process, add small amounts of water to help the onions along.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Remove dough from fridge. Flour your surface and turn the dough out onto it. Use your hands to knead the dough for about 1 minute, or until it no longer sticks to your hands. At this point, you can either cut the dough into three even pieces and roll each into a ball, or make one large pizza ball with the entire dough.
5. Using a floured rolling pin, start in the centre of your dough and roll outwards, turning your dough a quarter turn after every few rolls, trying to achieve a rectangular shape. Use your hands to pull and stretch the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Lay the dough on a large baking sheet that has been brushed with olive oil.
6. Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil and garlic mixture. Add the caramelized onions, sliced pears and then mozzarella slices. Bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes, or until crust has browned and the cheese bubbles. Top with arugula and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Cut with a pizza slicer and enjoy warm!

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