Name: Roasted Butternut Squash Flatbread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6 People
Ingredients: 2 whole flatbreads (I like to use Naan, about 10"); 4 cups butternut squash (already cubed from store, about 10 ounces); 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper (freshly ground); 4 ounces arugula (washed); 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 8 ounces goat cheese; 1 cup caramalized onions (or sub raw red onion); 1/2 cup slivered almonds, optional (toasted); 1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional (known as Craisins)

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Roasted Butternut Squash Flatbread is a healthy, updated version of pizza. Use grocery bought flatbread like Naan, pre-cut butternut squash and bagged arugula for time saving.

Updated with some new pictures and refined ingredient amounts on October 26, 2018.

How to Make Butternut Squash Flatbread in under 45 Minutes

Flatbreads make a fast hand held pizza in short order. The perfect picnic pizza if you will. Our butternut squash flatbread can be made in under 15 minutes if you already have frozen roasted squash, otherwise add 30 minutes. The times we included with the recipe assumes you are starting with store bought pre-cubed squash but you are roasting it at home, mainly because it’s easier to find raw cubed butternut squash than the roasted kind.

How To Make Butternut Squash Flatbread

Butternut squash flatbread prepped for oven

Top flatbread with goat cheese, caramelized onions and roasted butternut squash. You’ll add the arugula salad after it comes out of the oven

Use as many pre-cut and bagged items as possible to save time. It’s a rainy weekend and you have time then by all means do everything your self. But if this is a weeknight meal I’d suggest buying flatbread instead of homemade pizza dough or foccacia, pre-cut butternut squash as opposed to buying the whole vegetable (cheaper), keeping caramelized onions in the freezer instead of making them that night and buying the smallest bag of arugula as possible.

You’ll have arugula leftover, just add it to tomorrow nights salad or top your eggs with it in the morning.

Pre-bagged and pre-cut vegetables are a huge time saver, even if you have to cut them down a little more.

Now just spread the flatbread with the goat cheese, top with squash, caramelized onions and optional toppings and bake for about 8-10 minutes to warm through. Add the arugula salad after the butternut squash flatbread comes out of the oven.

How to Freeze Butternut Squash

Store bought cubed butternut squash is a huge time saver. It’s a lot safer than cutting your own AND it’s becoming more readily available. I have found diced butternut squash at Trader Joe’s and Sprouts and sometimes at Publix. It’s definitely more costly to buy the pre-cubed squash so decide if money or time is more valuable. If you are lucky enough to find it already cubed and at a reasonable price, you can make this butternut squash flatbread in less than 30 minutes. If you already have frozen roasted squash then you’ll be eating in 15 minutes.

If I find myself with a rainy weekend day I may go ahead a roast the butternut squash, cool and freeze. That way, when I want to make butternut squash flatbread I’m out the door in 15 minutes! You can freeze cubed or sliced squash just like berries. Lay the raw or roasted butternut squash on a parchment lined tray in a single layer and not touching each other. Freeze for at least ½ hour, then store in a resealable plastic bag or freezer container labeled with contents and “good by” date. Squash will store in freezer for 3 months or longer.

How To Cut A Butternut Squash

If you can’t find it already diced then buy a large butternut squash and be careful when cutting. It’s a tough shape to cut through. If your cutting board slides around on the counter easily then stabilize it with a damp towel underneath. Start by cutting off and then discarding the top and bottom ends. The sharper your knife the easier it will be.

Peel the squash with a sharp peeler or with a knife. Stabilize the squash from rolling and then slice the squash in half where the long neck joins the more bulbous body. Finish slicing the neck into ½” slices and then into cubes. The neck should be solid and not have seeds. Now cut the bulbous body in half revealing the seeds. Scrape seeds with a spoon (I like using a grapefruit spoon with its teeth for leverage) and discard seeds. Slice the body of the butternut squash into ½” slices and finish cubing the squash.

Keeping the cubes relatively the same size will cook the squash more evenly, the bigger the cube the longer it will take to cook.

cubed squash for butternut squash flatbread

Pre-cut butternut squash is a huge time saver. You may want to cut it down to 1/2″ cubes. The cube on the left is what came right out of the store bought bag and on the right are my cut down versions.

Or do what I do and buy pre-cut butternut squash. You’ll find it in the vegetable section of your grocery store, either pre-bagged or in those rigid plastic containers with the other pre-cut vegis. I typically buy mine in bags at Trader Joes. I like to cut the cubes down a bit to 1/2″ size so that they stay on the flatbread and are easier to eat. It only takes a minute or two and is worth the time. Still much easier than cutting your own butternut squash.

Inspiration for Our Roasted Butternut Squash Flatbread

There is a great Neapolitan style pizza/salad restaurant here in Atlanta, Midtown actually, that has one of my favorite pizza combinations. Atwood’s Zucca pizza is roasted butternut squash, kale, caramelized onion, pancetta, fior di latte mozzarella (a semi-soft, fresh cheese) and rosemary oil. Delicious.

On The Go Bites’ version of this butternut squash flatbread recipe roughly follows Atwoods genius creation. I changed it up quite a bit. Opting for Craisins to add a little sweetness. Goat cheese over mozzarella (just a taste preference, mozzarella would be delicious too). Toasted almonds for crunch. Caramelized onions (OK, so this is the same ingredient, but who can resist caramelized onions?). It’s a secret ingredient for all kinds of recipes, see here for an easy slow cooker way to caramelize onions. And last my balsamic vinaigrette over Atwoods rosemary oil. Only because most of our pantries have balsamic vinegar and it’s readily available).

You certainly can substitute Atwood’s ingredients if you’d like to taste their version of butternut squash flatbread, you won’t be sorry. Mine is more like a flatbread salad and uses more readily available ingredients.

I need to make another batch to see if the butternut squash flatbread freezes well and give you reheating instructions. My family ate it all up when I made it last time and left nothing to be frozen! Once I know how well it freezes I’ll update the post for you.

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