Cook once, eat twice! You can get two meals out of this recipe: Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Flatbread and Butternut Squash Penne.
Beautiful Food
I'm pretty excited about this post. It features some of my favorite ingredients: butternut squash, caramelized onions, and sage. And it's perfect for fall! But best of all, it's a collaboration with an amazing food photographer, Rikki Snyder. Oh, and it has a concept too! A concept!
After emailing back and forth for a while, Rikki and I decided to work together on a few posts. I've always felt that my strength as a food blogger is recipe development; while I love taking pictures, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a struggle at times. And since Rikki takes gorgeous photos, it seemed like a fun idea for me to develop some recipes and for Rikki to photograph them.
The common denominator in the recipes? Butternut squash! (And caramelized onions too.) Fall is typically a busy time. The lazy, relaxed days of summer are over. Now the kids are back in school, days are shorter, and easy meals are much-needed. Well, here are two meal ideas to make life a little bit less hectic—at least around dinnertime.
About the Recipe
Both the pasta and the flatbread start with roasted butternut squash and caramelized onions. You can make these over the weekend or the night before. You'll use half of them in each recipe. While the roasted squash and caramelized onions take a little bit of time to make, they're fairly hands-off recipes. With both of those prepared in advance, the pasta and flatbread are each done in 20 minutes or less.
The best thing about these two meals is that not only are they easy, but they're delicious. Because even though fall is a busy time, rushed meals don't always have to come out of a box or a can—with a little bit of planning, you can have a quick homemade meal like this rustic butternut squash flatbread. And trust me, having eaten many meals from a box in my day, this flatbread is way better.
Recipe
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 1 extra large butternut squash cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt + pepper to taste
Caramelized Onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large onions halved & thinly sliced
- salt + pepper to taste
Flatbread
- 1 prepared pizza crust
- ½ Caramelized Onions above
- ½ cup Fontina or Italian blend cheese shredded
- ½ Roasted Butternut Squash above
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sage leaves cut into ribbons
- 2 tbsp toasted walnuts chopped (optional)
Instructions
Roasted Butternut Squash
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Divide squash onto 2 rimmed baking sheets; drizzle each sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
- Bake for 45–50 minutes or until tender.
- Reserve half for penne recipe.
Caramelized Onions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over low heat.
- Add onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until completely caramelized, stirring occasionally at first and more often as onions begin to brown. Depending on your stove, this could take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour.
- Season with freshly ground pepper.
- Reserve half for penne recipe.
Flatbread
- Preheat oven to temperature indicated on pizza crust package.
- Top crust with caramelized onions, cheese, and squash.
- Bake for time on package or until squash is heated through and cheese has melted.
- While pizza is baking, heat oil in small skillet over medium high heat. Add sage leaves and saute, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes or until leaves are crispy, but still green.
- Sprinkle sage leaves and walnuts on pizza before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 24 September 2012.
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
Now I'm wishing I had the Mr pick up onions at the store last night. I guess I know what he's doing tonight!
Carolyn says
Okay, that is a flatbread worth me trying to make a low carb version. That looks heavenly!
Kiersten says
I think it would be pretty easy, right? The only carb-y thing is the prepared crust, which you could switch out with a low carb version...
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
This flatbread is GORGEOUS! I want it in my belly now!
Kare @ Kitchen Treaty says
What a gorgeous collaboration between you and Rikki, Kiersten! These photos are stunning and the recipe looks divine.
Both roasted butternut squash and caramelized onions freeze very well, too, so you can prep even farther in advance if you really want to get crazy. 🙂
Kiersten says
You know, I freeze just about everything, but I never thought to freeze either of those! That would be especially handy with caramelized onions, because I find myself using them constantly.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
omg this is so pretty! A must this week!
Jeanette says
I just love everything about this flatbread - all the toppings make such a great combination!
shelly (cookies and cups) says
I love this!! I am kind of a butternut squash addict.
Kiersten says
If you're going to be addicted to something, butternut squash is a pretty good thing to be addicted to. 🙂
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
I can practically taste it from here and I am drooling!
JulieD says
This looks amazing, Kiersten! I love how you used a darker background in your photos. 🙂
Kiersten says
Actually, I didn't take the photos, Rikki did. 🙂 But I'm totally making a black background for fall/winter photos!
Stephanie says
I know what we're having for dinner soon! =) Thanks!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
Wow, that is gorgeous and so appetizing!
Amanda says
Oh my gosh, this looks amazing! Seriously need this for lunch!! 🙂
[email protected] says
The photos look so great! Easy and healthy meal - what can be better!
Cassie says
Kiersten, this is beyond amazing! I love this combination of flavors and have some fresh butternut squash at home. Can't wait to try this!
TastefullyJulie says
This is gorgeous, Kiersten, but don't underestimate yourself. I love your photography!
Kiersten says
Aw, thank you! 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
This is AMAZING! Butternut squash and caramelized onions are both my favourites too. Fantastic clicks, Kiersten.
Kiersten says
The photos were taken by another blogger, Rikki Snyder. We collaborated on this post. 🙂
Nicole says
How much onion for the flatbread? It just says 1/2 carmelized onions...
Kiersten says
The idea of this recipe is that you'd make a batch of caramelized onions & butternut squash and then you use half of them for this and half of them for a penne recipe (which is going to be posted tomorrow). If you only want to make the flatbread, you could make half the amount of onions & butternut squash--so maybe 1 extra large onion and 1 small butternut squash.
Nicole says
Awesome! I love that it gets you thinking toward the next day's meal...and sorry if it was there and I didn't catch it.
Kiersten says
Don't worry about it! 🙂
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
Butternut squash is one of my faves in the fall! This looks great!
Mary Beth Elderton says
This looks beautiful! BTW--thank you again for teaching me how to caramelize onions. I've used your technique over and over since learning it.
Kiersten says
I'm so glad that post was helpful! 😀 I've been meaning to re-do that tutorial with new photos...
BusyWorkingMama says
You are officially the queen of caramelized onions! This looks great.
Kiersten says
Ha ha, I know! I swear I use them 2-3 times a week.
Kattie @ First Floor Side Door says
This looks amazing! Adding ingredients to our shopping list tonight...
I browsed through Rikki's site and her work is inspiring. But for the record, I love your photography!!
Kiersten says
Isn't it?! I could browse her site all day. But then I would get soooooo hungry. 😉
Balvinder says
What a lovely idea of using butternut squash and caramelized onion on flat bread. trying it this fall. By the way I love all your pictures with a black background.
Carol @ Always Thyme to Cook says
WOW, that is one gorgeous flatbread! Looks delicious, the pictures are amazing!
Stephanie @ henry happened says
My favorite thing to have my babysitter do is peel & chop butternut squash - I hate it! Almost as much as unloading the dishwasher 🙂 But I'm so excited about this recipe - esp b/c you used premade pizza crust (yay!) Loving this collaboration!
Kiersten says
Ha! I have my husband do that. 🙂 Those things are crazy hard to cut!
Natalie says
I love squash on pizzas - it works great as a spread too but I love how you've used it in this one - simple, kinda rustic, and gorgeous. Love those photos too!
Kiersten says
I have a pizza recipe with mashed sweet potatoes as a spread--using butternut squash the same way is a great idea!