Give your pizza night a fall makeover with our Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza made with Lifeway Farmer Cheese for a savory, seasonal recipe that puts the store-bought stuff to shame. This pie is made with wholesome ingredients, easy to put together, and features a delicious combination of flavors that make it a keeper — while also giving you a break from pumpkin spice everything.
The crisp, savory crust is dressed with a garlicky pesto sauce, slightly sweet butternut squash, and dotted with pillowy clouds of Lifeway Farmer Cheese before being baked until golden brown and bubbly.
Our probiotic, protein-rich farmer cheese is the star of the show here, as its creamy nature enhances the textures of the other ingredients, and its mild flavor helps balance the heat from the spices in this recipe. Boasting 15 grams of protein per 1/2 cup, Lifeway Farmer Cheese is a terrific food to pair with fiber-rich veggies like butternut squash to help keep you fuller longer.
After a short time in the oven, this Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza is ready to slice and serve for a feel-good meal packed with nutrition and seasonal appeal. Thanks to Lifeway, there’s no topping this recipe!
Give your next recipe a gut-healthy upgrade with Lifeway, and shop for all our probiotic foods in a store near you or shop online here.
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for better gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health.
Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, support the digestive system, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1. Lifeway Kefir also contains a variety of nutrients that are vital for healthy bones and overall health, including vitamins D3, K, and B12 along with calcium and potassium. Along with our kefir, we also offer our creamy, cultured Lifeway Farmer Cheese, a high protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support a healthy microbiome that’s easy to spread and contains no added salt or sugar.
Prep Time: 40 mins Servings: 8Ingredients
- 1 lb. pizza dough, homemade or store-bought - use gluten-free if needed
- 2 cups butternut squash, cut into 1⁄2" cubes
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the dough
- 3/4 cup Farmer Cheese
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced onions
- Toppings: 6-7 thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and anything else you prefer
Directions
- If the dough is cold, let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before proceeding. The dough is ready when it no longer bounces back when stretched.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- In an oven-safe bowl, combine the butternut squash with black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and olive oil, and toss to coat.
- Roast the butternut squash for 15 minutes, until just tender, then remove from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 525°F.
- Drizzle olive oil onto a large baking sheet, place the dough on top, and stretch and pull it into a 12" round.
- Spread the basil pesto over the dough, followed by the Lifeway Farmer Cheese, then be sure to smooth it evenly across the pizza. Add the roasted butternut squash and red onions, then brush the edges with olive oil.
- Bake for 10 minutes, turning the pizza halfway through at the 5 minute mark, until the crust is golden brown and crisp.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and top with fresh basil leaves, red pepper flakes, and any other toppings you desire.
