A homemade crust with a chocolate tomato sauce and flavourful toppings. This squash pizza with walnut and goat’s cheese is one of the most delicious vegetarian pizzas out there.
The best vegetarian pizza ever may be a tall claim, but I adore a good winter squash and this homemade crust with a flavoursome chocolate tomato sauce topped off with squash, walnuts and goat’s cheese does it for me. And not just me, CT and my mother were full of praise for it too and neither of them are vegetarian.
Winter Squash
I’m extremely fond of winter squash, it has a sweet nutty flavour and the bright orange colour, which is just what’s needed to brighten things up at this time of year. What with one thing and another, we’ve been unable to grow any this year, so I have to make do with buying butternut squash.
These are OK, but not nearly as good as an Uchiki Kuri for example. That’s a round orange Japanese squash with dense sweet orange flesh that keeps well right through the winter.
Goat’s Milk, Butter, Yoghurt and Cheese
Recently a wonderful goaty hamper turned up on the doorstep, full of good goaty things from St Helen’s Farm in Yorkshire. It was even accompanied by an actual goat. I wasn’t quite certain if she was there to ensure safe arrival or to keep a critical eye on my activities.
I have a real soft spot for these lively, inquisitive and capricious animals. Growing up, I used to spend time on a smallholding and when there it was my job to take the two goats, Starlight and Moonlight out to the fields in the morning and bring them back in the evening. I even had a go at milking them, but have to confess I never really got the hang of it.
If truth be told, I didn’t find their milk delicious. I drank it, but it had quite a strong caprine taste that some people find off-putting.
Goat’s Milk
I was very pleased to find that this was not the case with the milk from the good goats of St Helen’s Farm. There’s a bit of a goaty tang, but nothing too distracting and it gives the milk character which makes a welcome change from cow’s milk. “Deliciously mild”, it states on the pack and we could not disagree.
This is good news as goat’s milk is not only nutritious, but has a structure similar to human breast milk which makes it more easily tolerated by people with a lactose intolerance. It’s also quite nutritious with more calcium, potassium and vitamin A than cow’s milk. The skimmed milk made a most delicious breakfast smoothie with banana, oats, chia seeds and raw cocoa powder. We also used it to make porridge, where it worked to good effect.
The semi-skimmed milk was perfect for making hot chocolate, which at this time of year is, quite frankly, essential. Very thoughtfully, our little goat brought a couple of mugs along with her, so we were able to sip our beverage whilst admiring her sister nannies. We saved the full fat milk for pouring on our muesli and for a recipe that will be appearing at a later date.
Goat’s Yogurt
I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to yogurt. I like it natural. So, I was slightly hesitant about trying the yogurt pots with fruit. The yogurt made up the bulk of the pot, with a layer of fruit puree at the bottom. I liked this, as not only did it look pretty, but I was able to try the yogurt on it’s own and then mix as much or as little of the puree as I desired on each spoonful.
The yogurt with mango and lime was my first choice. I’m a sucker for mango. The yogurt was smooth and creamy all on its own and the limey mango gave bursts of flavour which were very welcome indeed. I’m a convert and thought this made a very nice dessert.
The second pot was blueberry & rosehip, which was nice, but not as lively. Pots of yogurt stirred with honey are sitting invitingly in the fridge. The pots weigh 125g and come in packs of two.
The full fat live yogurt was absolutely delicious and it didn’t taste in the least bit goaty. It was mild and creamy and fabulous eaten just as it was. However, we did use some of it to top our breakfast muesli and to accompany a curry and it enhanced both. We also had a pot of 0% fat goat’s milk yogurt and whilst I’m not normally a fan of fat free, this one was quite tasty. It worked best in smoothies and in cooking, where I found that it didn’t separate out as much as ordinary yogurt does.
Goat’s Cheese and Butter
There was also a pack of butter in the hamper, which I’m looking forward to trying. I’ve been holding off doing so, however, as I’m saving it for the recipe mentioned earlier.
For the pizza, I used “Mild and Creamy Goats Cheese”, which wasn’t creamy at all. It was a hard cheese with a grainy texture; it had bite and depth with a good, if mild, flavour. I thought it quite delicious and happily polished off the remaining half in my cheese sandwiches.
As I’m a big cheese fan, I was really pleased to have a 240g pack of their mature version too. This was very similar to the mild, but with more depth and flavour. It reminded me of a good cheddar and can be used in exactly the same way. I was planning on using it with some of the butter to make goat’s cheese scones, but it went the way of the first and was consumed with relish along with my homemade bread and apple chutney.
Squash Pizza with Walnuts & Goat’s Cheese
If you’e not made your own pizza bases before, do give it a go. They’re not at all difficult. All that’s really required is a little patience as you have to wait for the dough to rise. I’ve added a little maca powder to mine for a mini nutritional boost. But this is entirely optional and doesn’t really affect the flavour.
A rich tomato sauce is the key component to this squash pizza. It gives flavoursome umami notes and brings the whole thing together. It’s very easy to make as it just involves frying up an onion, adding a few other ingredients and a tin of tomatoes. The secret ingredient for added flavour and richness is dark chocolate.
The only other thing you need to do is fry up some squash cubes, shop walnuts and goat’s cheese and cut up tomatoes. Once this is done, it’s an assembly job. Pop the pizzas into a hot oven and they should be done in about ten minutes.
Other Squash Recipes You Might Like
- Pumpkin muffins with goat’s cheese & tarragon
- Quinoa bowl with broccoli & pumpkin three ways
- Roasted squash with sage & hazelnuts in brown butter
- Squash & butter bean stew
- Stuffed squash
- Vegan savoury bread pudding
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this squash pizza with walnuts & goat’s cheese, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips or favourite flavour combinations? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more pizza recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Squash Pizza. PIN IT.
Squash Pizza – The Recipe
Squash, Walnut Goat’s Cheese Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 tsp dried active yeast
- 250 g flour (half wholemeal spelt, half white)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp maca powder (optional)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 160 ml warm water
- 1 small butternut squash
- 1 small onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 fresh red chilli chopped
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp tamari (affiliate link)
- 15 g dark chocolate
- 1 handful walnuts
- 100 g hard goat’s cheese cut into small slices
- 20 cherry tomatoes halved
Instructions
- Whisk the yeast into the warm water and leave for a couple of minutes.1 tsp dried active yeast, 160 ml warm water
- Place flour, salt and maca (if using) into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast followed by 1 tbsp of olive oil.250 g flour, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp maca powder
- Stir until just combined, then knead on an oiled surface for a good ten minutes or so when the dough should be smooth and elastic. Place back in the bowl, cover and leave to rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
- Peel, core and seed the butternut squash, then chop into small cubes. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium sized saucepan and fry the squash cubes over moderate heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until just soft.1 small butternut squash
- Remove the squash from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining tbsp of olive oil and fry the onion gently for a few minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for another couple of minutes.1 small onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 fresh red chilli
- Add the tomatoes, herbs and tamari. Cover and allow to simmer for fifteen minutes or so when the sauce should be thick enough not to fall off the pasta, but not too dry. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, stir and leave to cool.400 g tinned chopped tomatoes, 1 sprig fresh rosemary, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 tsp tamari (affiliate link), 15 g dark chocolate
- Heat the oven to 200℃ (180℃ fan, 400℉, Gas 6). Cut the dough into four pieces and roll them out as thinly as you can. Place onto oven trays.
- Cover the four pizza bases with the tomato sauce to about 1 cm from the edge. Scatter the squash cubes over the top, followed by the tomatoes and then the walnuts. Place the cheese strategically around the pizza then bake for ten minutes or until the crust has browned and the pizza looks done.1 handful walnuts, 20 cherry tomatoes, 100 g hard goat’s cheese
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
Cooking with Herbs this month is all about parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Well I used two of these in my pizza, so I’m happily sending one off to Karen over at Lavender and Lovage.
Very sensibly Shaheen, over at Allotment 2 Kitchen has chosen Halloween colours for this month’s Vegetable Palette. October is a month full of colour and pumpkin bounty and my squash pizza fits right in.
With pumpkin very much in season this month, I’m also sending one of these off to Ren Behan for Simple and in Season.
For this pizza I used the butternut squash that was left over from making my pumpkin pecan chocolate cake. It also used a handful of tomatoes that had grown “wild” in our plot, but were a little past their best. So one of these also goes to Vohn’s Vittles who is hosting this month’s No Food Waste Challenge on behalf of Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary.
It’s been a while since I submitted anything to Recipe of the Week, so I’m sending one of these pizzas off to Emily at A Mummy Too.
Many thanks to St Helen’s Farm and Purple Cow for the hamper of delicious goat’s milk products. I was not required to write a positive review and as always, all opinions are my own.
Shaheen says
Only you could do this Choclette and why not, love the idea of chocolate in the tomato base. Thank you so much for sharing with VegetablePalette, the round up will be up later today.
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Shaheen, chocolate is a wondrous ingredient, it goes so well with so many things.
Katie @ The Perfect Brownie says
Wow, am I jealous! 🙂
That is the most adorable basket of goodies. And your pizza is lovely!
Not being from the UK, I don’t recognize the brand. Could you tell me a little about it? Is it a small local thing, or nationwide company available throughout the country?
Choclette Blogger says
H Katie, thank you. They aren’t local to me at all being based in Yorkshire. I’m guessing they are quite a big outfit as there products can be bought in supermarkets all over the country, though I’m not sure which ones. Here in Cornwall we do have a small goat’s farm which does cheese and another which does milk and yogurt.
Deena Kakaya says
what an idea-so, so clever and what a pretty pizza! sounds juicy-sweet x
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you Deena, you always say the nicest things 🙂
Sophie at Franglaise Cooking says
Ooh, I love the combination of squash, walnut and goat’s cheese – these are combinations that I’ve had in salads but never on a pizza, so I’ll definitely be trying that out soon.
#Recipeoftheweek
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Sophie – I do hope you do, it works so very well.
Lou, Eat Your Veg says
Oh I’m loving your veggie pizza Choclette, and only you could add pizza to the party!!! I used to make a similar pizza with squash and goats cheese pretty regularly, when I used to make pizzas every week but have sadly got out of the habit. Only mine was without the choc or the equally as interesting walnuts! YUMMY!
Choclette Blogger says
I wish I’d thought of squash pizza’s before Lou – I obviously wasn’t paying enough attention to your blog. This is the first time I’ve ever used squash on a pizza and now it won’t be the last.
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
This is the sort of food that would make OH drop everything and drool. Yum.
Choclette Blogger says
Does that mean you will indulge him Bintu?
Jane Sarchet says
Corrrrr, yes please! That looks bleddy ‘ansum!
Janie x
Choclette Blogger says
They were very ansum indeed Janie 🙂
belleau kitchen says
Love that pizza. It looks delicious and really sophisticated if you can have a sophisticated pizza?
Choclette Blogger says
Haha Dom, now I’ve seen your latest pizza, I don’t think mine is the least bit sophisticated.
glutenfreealchemist says
This is absolutely my sort of pizza. I would definitely choose it if I saw it on the menu. Walnuts go so well with goats cheese and squash…….. And as I am lucky enough to have loads of different squashes (all home grown) in the larder at the moment, I may just have to try making it! We are definitely lovers of good strong mature cheeses in our house and love a good goat! Yum!!
Choclette Blogger says
I am so envious of your homegrown squashes Kate. We left it too late this year for winter and we only have one very small one which is trying hard to ripen. Both of these goat’s cheeses were really delicious – I could become quite a fan.
freerangegirl says
I love St Helens goat Farm – we use their products all the time – it’s lovely to see them in blog world! And goats cheese with squash…a match made in Heaven!
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you. This was the first time I’d come across them and I have to say I am truly impressed. I’m guessing they are in your neck of the woods.
Julie Bardoe says
As a huge pizza lover this is a recepi I need to try as it sounds delicious x
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Julie, it is truly 🙂
Susan Lindquist says
Yum! I am a pizza fiend and this one is just so appealing! It’s really pretty too!
Choclette Blogger says
Thanks Susan, I don’t make them often enough, but I always enjoy them when I do.
Johanna GGG says
I do admire how you get chocolate into so many dishes – sylvia is always begging for chocolate pizza but I think this would scare her – and delight me!
Choclette Blogger says
Haha, yes indeed Johanna, Sylvia would get a shock if you dished this up for her when expecting a chocolate pizza.
Beautykinguk says
That is the sort of pizza the wife would probably eat, im more of a meat feast kind of guy :o)
Choclette Blogger says
Well each to his or her own.
Angie Schneider says
I am too a HUGE fan of pumpkin and winter squashes. I love this pizza and goat cheese makes it even more appealing!
Choclette Blogger says
Thank you Angie. I’m not sure why, but winter squash is still quite a new thing over here. All those years of missing out on it.