Fun fact: October is National Pizza Month. Now normally I don’t observe cockamamy made-up holidays, but this is one I can get behind. I probably shouldn’t admit this publicly, but in my household we make pizzas at lease once a week for dinner. I can hear the divide forming between my readers: the ones that think this is awesome and the ones that think this is grossly irresponsible. To the former, I send you a virtual high-five. To the later, I say that pizza is (quite, literally) what you make it. So, I often make much healthier takes on the stereotypical pie… if you say it’s ‘pizza’, somehow the loads of vegetables on top become invisible to the adolescent eye. Catch my drift? The heavenly Italian import can also be quite chic and serve as an easy-to-prep gourmet entree for parties. That is why I was thrilled when Mama Mary’s® asked me to team up with them for this sponsored post, celebrating the holy month. Shall we get to the cheesy details?
In honor of the collaboration, I thought it fitting to create a seasonally based recipe. A Spicy Harvest Pizza. Oh yes my friends, this is the Pumpkin Spiced, cable-knit wearing version of a traditional meat and veggies pie. Here’s what you’ll need: Mama Mary’s Pizza Crust, butternut squash, asparagus, Cabot® Sharp Light Cheddar Cheese, habanero chilis, garlic salt, capocollo, Filippo Berio® Olive Oil, sage, and pumpkin pasta sauce. Follow along or get the recipe card below…
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and cover a pizza pan with parchment paper. Place the Mama Mary’s Pizza Crust on the pan and brush 1 tablespoon of Filippo Berio Olive Oil along the crust.
Then dust the oiled crust with 1 tablespoon of garlic salt.
Spread 1/2 cup of pumpkin pasta sauce evenly on the center of the pizza and cover with 2 cups of Cabot shredded cheese.
‘Decorate’ the pizza by topping it with 1/2 cup of diced butternut squash, 5 to 6 halved asparagus spears, capocollo, sage leaves, and 7 to 8 halved habaneros.
Place in the oven and bake approximately 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
SPICY HARVEST PIZZA
INGREDIENTS
- Mama Mary’s Pizza Crust
- 1/2 cup of butternut squash (diced)
- 6 asparagus spears (halved)
- 2 cups of Cabot Sharp Light Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
- 7-8 habanero chilis (halved)
- 6 sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon of garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon of Filippo Berio Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup of pumpkin pasta sauce (or any seasonal sauce available)
- Capocollo (or prosciutto)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and cover a pizza pan with parchment paper.
- Place the Mama Mary’s Pizza Crust on the pan and brush the Filippo Berio Olive Oil along the crust. Then dust the oiled crust with the garlic salt.
- Spread the pumpkin pasta sauce evenly on the center of the pizza and cover with the Cabot shredded cheese.
- ‘Decorate’ the pizza by topping it with the diced butternut squash, halved asparagus spears, capocollo, sage leaves, and halved habaneros.
- Place in the oven and bake approximately 10 minutes.
- Slice and enjoy!
Admittedly, the sage and habaneros are there to simply infuse the pie with some extra flavor and spiciness. In other words, feel free to forego actually biting into those little babies… the level of hot is not for everyone. So, there you have it! A harvest pizza recipe to spice up the cooler months. Make sure to look out for specially marked packages of Mama Mary’s Pizza Crust from October through November at Walmart stores nationally, to celebrate National Pizza Month and featuring: recipes and a fold-out booklet with $5+ in coupons from Mama Mary’s Pizza Crusts and affiliates. So tell me, what daring pizza are you going to make next?
