Homemade Healthy Butternut Squash Pizza

Eating healthily is a lifestyle choice I have personally chosen. However as much as I love it,  there is one thing I desperately miss. Pizza.

I  have done all I can to avoid it because it isn't categorized in the healthy eating department,  now it can be!

Ingredients  For  One Pizza

For  the base:

1 Butternut Squash (not too big)

1 Cup of ground almonds

1 Cup of Spelt Flour (Almond is an alternative to a non grain base)

3 Tbsp of Flaxseed

1 Tbsp Dried Oregano

A Sprinkle of Salt and Pepper 

For the Pesto Sauce:

1 Cup of Raw Spinach (a large handful)

A Large Handful of Plain Cashew Nuts

1/2 Cup of Fresh Basil (or 2 Tbsp of dried basil)

1/2 a Lemon Squeezed

1/2 a cup of Virgin Olive oil

Things you will need:

1 Large Sauce Pan

Cup Measurements (clink here to convert to grams) 

Food Processor 

A Shallow Baking Tray or Pizza Stone 

A Collider 

A potato masher (a fork will do)

And for the sensible people, an apron - take my word when I say it's going to get messy!

Instructions 

Step No. 1

To begin with, wash the butternut squash and cut it directly down the middle. Pop a large sauce pan on the stove filled with water to allow it to boil. Here is where it gets messy...spoon out as much of the seeds and pulp as you can. Next slice the butternut squash into small chunks (the smaller the less time it will need in the sauce pan). 

Step No. 2

Place all of the butternut squash chunks into the sauce pan and set your timer for 20minutes.

Step No. 3 

Once the butternut squash has boiled and filled the kitchen with a delicious scent, it is time to drain it of water. Pop it to the side in a bowl and leave to cool for a few minutes.

Step No. 4

Grab a small bowl and pop 2 tbsp of flaxseed with 2 tbsp of water and set aside for 5 minutes. In the mean time, grab a large mixing bowl and to that add in all of the dry ingredients (don't forget the last tbsp of flaxseed!)

Step No. 5 

I lied, this is the messy part! Pop your aprons on ladies and gents. Scoop out all of the butternut squash flesh from the skin and pop it into a small bowl. Tip: to make the next step easier grab a potato masher and mash up all of the butternut squash! (try to resist not eating it...I know I couldn't. Oops) At this point you're also going to want to pre-heat the oven to 200c. 

Step No. 6 

Add in the butternut squash to the large mixing bowl of dry ingredients (at this point add the flax seed and water mixture) and stir in with a wooden spoon. 

Step No. 7

Rub a small amount of olive oil to your pizza stone  or line your shallow baking tray with a good non stick baking sheet (I tried this the first time and it got stuck and turned into a challenge to even eat the pizza).

Spread the dough out evenly onto your baking tray or pizza stone, making sure to leave the crusts a little thicker than the rest. Pop it into the oven for 34-40 minutes.

Step No. 8 

Take this opportunity to wash the dirty dishes (you'll be grateful later I promise). 

As well as making the pesto sauce. Throw all of the ingredients into a food processor and wizz it all up until you get a pale green, smooth consistency. Leave to chill in the fridge until you need it.

If you're still left with some extra time, get out all of your toppings for the pizza (I put tomatoes, mushrooms and kale. Anything goes for this step, so pick whatever tickles your fancy)

Step No. 9 

Once you have a golden brown pizza base, take it out of the oven. Spread over the pesto sauce, leaving the crusts free. 

Now for the best bit, toppings! I put tomato, mushroom and kale (as you can see we didn't have a lot in the fridge, but thats the beauty of pizza - you can throw anything on it!)

Once you have a beautifully decorated pizza, pop it back into the over for 10 more minutes! 

Step No. 10 

Plate up, sit back and munch on a slice of heaven!