White Pizza With Butternut Squash + Leeks

A dreamy white pizza topped with sweet butternut squash, caramelized leeks and proscuitto, served with a drizzle of hot honey.

If fall were a pizza, it would taste like this.

It is comforting, very savory, a little bit sweet and earthy. Made with ricotta cheese, this white pizza is creamy and rich, but not overwhelming. Butternut squash sauteed with a kiss of brown sugar, and leeks caramelized in balsamic vinegar… So yummy!

Butternut squash is very nutritious — it’s super high in vitamin A and packs a punch of vitamin C too, according to WebMD. Leeks also offer these vitamins.

The hot honey dipping/topping sauce is perfection on this. If you haven’t had hot honey pizza, which is very trendy right now, it is phenomenal. It takes the pizza to the next level with a kick of spice and a lot of sweetness that is extra tasty on a white pizza in particular. It is just dreamy with the prosciutto. Mmmmmm…

Since this recipe uses a premade pizza crust, it is a pinch to make. The only real work you have to do here is sauteing the butternut squash and leeks. After that, it’s all assembly!

While pizza is typically thought of as a main course, this would make an excellent appetizer if you’re entertaining — just get a thin-crust pizza crust and call it a flatbread!

But no matter what you call this dish, it is delicious and beautiful. Serve when it’s nice and hot, and pour yourself a beer, glass of white or a PSL. Why not? It’s fall, y’all ?

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for the pizza:

Premade pizza crust (you can make your own too)
Butternut squash
Leek
Proscuitto
Garlic powder
Ricotta
Brown sugar (or maple syrup)
Sprig of rosemary
Balsamic vinegar
Parmesan (optional)
Olive oil

Here’s what you need for the dipping sauce (optional):

Honey
Hot sauce

Substitutions

Pizza is a very flexible dish, so feel free to get creative with the toppings! This would be tasty with goat cheese, arugula, pepperoni, sun dried tomatoes, crushed red pepper, roasted garlic, mushrooms, or other herbs, like basil or sage.

As for the dipping sauce, use your favorite hot sauce! I love Cholula or Valentina because they are more flavorful and complex than Tobasco. I am normally a Sriracha junkie, but I prefer a Mexican-style hot sauce here. Drizzle that stuff allllllll over your pizza. It is way too good.

Tips

Be sure to let that pizza cook. The second the crust starts to brown, I get too excited. And then I flip on the oven light and stare at it. And then I get impatient and think to myself, It’s probably, like, almost ready. I should just… Pull it out a minute early. Trust me: Just wait.

You’ll know it’s ready when the bottom is nice and crusty. Depending on your oven temp (my crust called for a temperature of 425°F) I would say don’t pull it out before 12 or 13 minutes. Try for 15, if the crust isn’t burnt. But really, this depends on the directions your pizza crust manufacturer gives you.

If you plan to reheat, it’s best to do this in the oven. You can reheat in the microwave if you’re lazy, like moi, but just know that it will get all steamy up in there and you’ll lose the crusty-ness of your crust. If you pop some pizza slices in the oven at 350°F until it’s warmed through (about 10 minutes, but keep checking to ensure it doesn’t burn).

Happy pizza-making!