Butternut Squash Luncheon Tart

I am always searching for creative ways to top a pizza crust. A photo I saw in a recent issue of Bon Appetit Magazine inspired this recipe. Their version had a layer of cream cheese beneath the squash and was topped with sugar; nevertheless I wanted to come up with an allergen-free version of a butternut squash tart. On a recent snow day I decided to get busy creating.

Butternut Squash Luncheon Tart

2 cups of butternut squash slices (I used ½ of a medium squash)
1 tablespoon olive oil (additional oil needed for crust)
1 teaspoon salt
1 pizza crust (see note below)
1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic
½ tablespoon basil

Peel and seed the squash. Use a mandolin slicer to make thin slices of squash (or use a knife, keeping the slices about ¼ inch). Spread them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush a light coat of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) and sprinkle a small amount of salt (about 1 teaspoon) on top of the squash.

Bake the squash slices at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. After baking, cover with a wet paper towel until it’s time to assemble the tart.

For this recipe I used The Thin Pizza Crust recipe in Learning to Bake Allergen-Free.Yes, a pizza crust is what you want to use here and this one works fabulously with this recipe.

Spread a light coat of olive oil on a par-baked (partially baked, about 12 minutes) pizza crust. Layer the squash on the crust. Slice onions and garlic and layer them on top of the squash.

Garnish with 1/2 tablespoon of basil, if desired.

Bake at 350 for 14 minutes or until all ingredients are done.

Enjoy!