Whenever my husband and I are in Boston, we eat at Giacomo’s Restaurant – a great little Italian place on Hanover Street in the North End. When we are there, I usually order the butternut squash ravioli. It is served in a cream sauce with asparagus and prosciutto. The flavors in the pasta dish were my inspiration for this pizza recipe.
For the dough, I used my usual whole wheat pizza dough, which is quick and easy to make in your stand mixer. But feel free to substitute your favorite dough or pick up some dough from your local pizza shop! The pizza was delicious – I especially love how the prosciutto got all crispy on top of the pizza. Just be sure to use very (very) thinly sliced prosciutto. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- Whole wheat pizza dough
- Small bunch of asparagus tips, ends trimmed
- 1 pound peeled, cubed butternut squash
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1/2 cup low fat half and half
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/8 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a 15 inch pizza pan (or a baking sheet). Spread the dough out on the pan and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.
Place the butternut squash in a pot and add enough water to just cover the squash. Bring to a boil and cook for about 8 minutes, until the squash is tender. Drain, and return to the pot. Add the skim milk and low fat half and half. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add a pinch of nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Stir to make sure the seasonings are evenly combined.
Meanwhile, in a small pan, bring a half cup of water a simmer. Add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes. The asparagus should be bright green and tender, but not mushy. Transfer the asparagus to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
To assemble the pizza, first spread the butternut squash mixture over the pizza dough. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Arrange the asparagus on top of the cheese, and top with the slices of prosciutto. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the prosciutto is crispy and the cheese is golden.
I hear Boston has incredible Italian food! I’ve never been, though! But I LOVE butternut squash and that sauce sounds phenomenal! I once made a pizza with a pumpkin sauce – the flavors just work! That looks so good!
I love the idea of a butternut squash sauce for this delicious pizza! The asparagus and prosciutto are wonderful toppings!
Oooh, I love Giacomo’s in Boston! Your pizza looks fabulous! You always have great food on your blog. :-)
Butternut squash instead of tomato sauce sounds phenomenal. I’m visiitng Boston this summer and will have to try this restaurant.
I like the butternut squash alternative to tomato sauce. That looks it turned out wonderfully good and super tasty!!
anything with asparagus sounds good to me! I wonder if my husband is adventurous enough to eat this… :)
This is a veggie lovers heaven. Great pizza!
Wow that pizza looks awesome!!! I will have to give it a try. I have been on a homemade pizza kick lately.