butternut squash, caramelized onion, and kale pizza with goat cheese, thyme, and dried cranberries

i went to sleep thinking about caramelized onions the other night - totally normal to be dreaming about alliums if you’re me - and i was thinking about fun ways to use them in recipes that didn’t involve just scooping them straight out of the pan, which is my preferred way to eat/inhale them. caramelized onions are kind of a labor of love because they involve a little more time commitment, but the payoff is 100000x worth it, so that’s sort of the theme i landed on with this pizza. this is an investment piece, if you will.

look, i fully get it if spending an hour and a half on a pizza that’s probably being made from a frozen crust isn’t in your top 10 friday night plans , but TRUST that it’s amazing and i’m slapping a ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ sticker on this baby because the flavors happening here are truly fall magic. silky roasty butternut squash with buttery caramelized onions play off the tangy goat cheese and sweet cranberries so, so well, and the fresh thyme leaf finish gives the whole thing a crackly woodsy quality that makes me want to weep with september appreciation. tears over pizza? also, totally normal if you’re me.

a couple things before we start:
- you can definitely prep the butternut squash and onions ahead of time! if you’re meal prepping earlier in the week, i’d go this route so everything is ready to rock when it’s pizza time.
- if you’re dairy-free or vegan, skip the butter with the onions and butternut squash and substitute more oil, and skip the goat cheese or add your fave.
- use whatever crust you want! or make your own, if you’re a true rockstar!

butternut squash, caramelized onion, and kale pizza with goat cheese, thyme, and dried cranberries
makes: 1 pizza
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 1 1/2 hours

1 pizza crust (I used this almond flour crust one from cappellos )
1 butternut squash
1 onion, thinly sliced
1c kale
1/2c goat cheese
1/4c dried cranberries
1tsp fresh thyme leaves
3 1/2tbsp olive oil, divided
3tbsp butter or ghee
2tsp salt, divided
1tsp black pepper
1tsp garlic powder

preheat the oven to 425.
slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. brush the inside with a little bit of olive oil, and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. roast for 1 hour, until the squash is tender enough to mash. once the squash is finished, adjust the oven temperature to the needed pizza crust temperature.

meanwhile, heat 2tbsp of olive oil and 2tbsp butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium low. add the onions and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. they’re going to caramelize loooow and sloooow for at least 30 minutes. you can stir them every so often, but don’t over-fuss them. they’ll gently start to bubble and brown, and you can give them longer than 30 minutes if you like.

massage the kale with 1/2tbsp of olive oil, and set aside.

once the squash is done roasting, scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. add 1tbsp olive oil, 1tbsp butter, 1tsp salt, 1tsp black pepper, and 1tsp garlic. whisk or mash until smooth-ish; you still want this to have a bit of texture (it’s acting as the ‘pizza sauce.’)

now it’s (finally!!) pizza assembly time! spread a layer of the butternut squash puree around the pizza crust, making sure to get all edges and nooks and crannies. then, add the kale, then the caramelized onions. next, sprinkle the cranberries and goat cheese, and finish with the last 1/2tsp of salt over everything. bake according to your pizza crust instructions. once the pizza is finished, top with the fresh thyme, and maybe - definitely? - more goat cheese.