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Well, it’s winter. And it’s cold (at least where I am). And that means comfort food.
My usual idea of comfort food is a huge bowl of warming soup or stew, probably served with some kind of bread, but this cheesy pizza with roasted Winter Squash, mushrooms, goat cheese, sage and a sweet and spicy hot honey roasted garlic butter sauce definitely fits into the category.
The squash and mushrooms get roasted and caramelized, the sage turns into crispy ribbons, and that melted, lightly charred goat cheese? Don’t even get me started.
Table of Contents
Quick Recipe Overview
Flavors: This recipe combines the earthy flavors of mushrooms with the buttery flavors of squash. The goat cheese adds a sharp, tangy flavor and the sage ribbons are the perfect finishing touch.
Tips for the best pizza:
- Make sure you roll out your crust to 1/3 of an inch thick according to the directions for perfect crispy crust
- Don’t overcrowd your toppings or your pizza might get soggy
Difficulty: Medium if you choose to make this from scratch, but easy if you use store-bought ingredients.
Time: This recipe has a few steps, but once you get started, you’ll see that everything comes together quickly because you’ll have a lot done by the time your vegetables are roasted.
How to make Roasted Squash and Mushroom Pizza
This pizza recipe is so simple to make for a few reasons. The vegetables and garlic for the sauce roast together while you prepare the rest of your toppings. The sauce in question comes together in one bowl in 30 seconds. Plus, if you’re using a store-bought pizza dough that doesn’t need to be rolled out, it comes together even quicker (see my recommendations below).
For the roasted garlic, there’s a few ways you can make it. I always roast garlic in large batches and keep separate cloves in my freezer so that I always have them handy, but I’ve included instructions for roasting a head of garlic in the steps below. If you’re making it just for this recipe, the easiest way is to slice the top off and get it roasting before you start prepping your other ingredients, because it needs a bit longer in the oven than the squash and mushrooms. You could also roast it in advance on its own then set it aside until you’re ready to make the rest of the recipe. But definitely start keeping some on hand; you’ll thank me when your sauce or salad dressing needs a little something and you have roasted garlic that thaws in minutes.
Back to the recipe. Delicious, mostly homemade pizza in less than an hour; you’re going to love this one. This recipe makes 2 medium pizzas, but you can easily double it to make more. You can also just make one big pizza instead.
Or, if you want to take full credit and really call this homemade, you can make your own pizza dough from scratch (recipe coming soon!). It’s super easy, requires no kneading and freezes so well. I usually make a double batch so that I always have pizza dough on hand in the freezer when the craving hits. You can also use it for so many other things like appetizers that require a quick dough.
Here’s how to make this Mushroom and Squash Pizza with Goat Cheese and Sage:
Roast the Vegetables
First, you’re going to want to get your vegetables roasting. Start by preheating your oven to 375F and lining a large baking sheet with either parchment paper or aluminum foil. You’re going to want to use a large baking sheet so that we can just replace the foil or parchment paper and use the same pan to make the pizza and reduce dishes. Slice the top off the head of garlic, drizzle it with olive oil and salt and black pepper, then place it cut side down on the prepared baking sheet and place it in the oven. You don’t even have to wait for the oven to be preheated before you put the garlic in. We’re just doing this because the garlic needs a little more time to roast than the veggies. At this point, I also like to put my goat cheese into the freezer. Once you’re ready to top your pizza, this step will make it SO much easier to crumble the goat cheese.
Then, prep your veggies; slice your mushrooms and dice your squash into small pieces. You want about 1 cup of sliced mushrooms, and 1 cup of diced squash. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will roast, which cuts down on the recipe time. I used delicata squash, but any Winter Squash you prefer would be delicious, such as butternut or acorn squash. For the mushrooms, I used cremini or baby bella mushrooms, but white button mushrooms or any variety of mushrooms large enough to slice would work great as well. You’re the one eating it, so use what you prefer.
Next, throw all those chopped veggies into a large bowl and add the olive oil, salt, freshly cracked black pepper and smoked paprika and toss to ensure all the veggies are well coated in oil and spices. Transfer those veggies to your prepared baking sheet, and spread them out evenly. You’ll want to make sure they’re not too crowded so that the edges get nicely charred and caramelized and the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates as they roast.
While your veggies are in the oven, prepare the rest of your toppings; shred your mozzarella cheese (or use pre-shredded cheese, but shredding your own cheese is always tastier and more cost-effective), crumble your goat cheese (it’s much easier now that it’s a little frozen, right? I told you. Now put it back in the freezer so it doesn’t get all clumpy again.), and chop your sage leaves. The best way to do that is by stacking the leaves on top of each other then rolling them as tightly as you can and slicing them into thin ribbons. If you want to get fancy, this is called a chiffonade cut.
Once those veggies are mostly roasted and the squash can be pierced with a fork, remove them from the oven (about 20 to 25 minutes depending on your oven). We don’t want to roast them all the way just yet because they’re going to go back in the oven with the pizza and further caramelize. Once the garlic has cooled, pop the cloves out. Increase your oven temperature to 425 and carefully remove the parchment paper or aluminum foil and set those veggies aside to cool, then put a fresh piece on the baking sheet.
Make the Hot Honey Roasted Garlic Butter Sauce
Next you’re going to make the easy, sweet and spicy hot honey butter sauce. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then add the roasted garlic and mash the cloves right into the butter (or you can mash the cloves in a separate bowl, but why give yourself extra dishes to do?). Add as many of the roasted garlic cloves as your heart desires. I usually do about 6-7 large cloves. Add the dried parsley, salt, honey and chili flakes. Do a quick taste test; you can make it sweeter, spicier or more garlicky if you want.
Prep Your Pizza Dough
Now it’s time to roll out your pizza dough. If you’re using a pre-rolled dough, you can skip this step. If you’re using pizza dough that comes in a ball (usually found in the freezer section at the grocery store) sprinkle some flour over a large surface, divide the ball of dough in half and roll out the pizza dough to about a 10 or 12 inch circle. The exact width of the circle doesn’t matter as long as the dough is rolled out to a thickness of about 1/3 of an inch. You can also make one big pizza, or a bunch of small pizzas if you feel like making them personal sized (although I personally think the medium is already personal sized). Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.
Assemble the Pizza
All that’s left is to assemble the pizza then wait impatiently as it cooks. Brush the garlic butter sauce all over the dough rounds, then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Top with the roasted squash and mushrooms, the crumbled goat cheese, and the sage ribbons. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the crust is golden and crispy. The edges of the vegetables will have finished caramelizing, and the top of the goat cheese crumbles will be lightly charred.
Cut into 4-6 slices, and devour.
Recipe FAQs
Can I substitute any of the ingredients in this recipe?
Absolutely! Use any variety of winter squash you’d like, as well as any type of mushrooms you prefer. If you don’t have smoked paprika, you can use regular paprika in its place. Instead of mozzarella, you could use another shredded cheese like Gouda or white cheddar, and feta or blue cheese would be amazing as a substitute for goat cheese on this pizza as well.
For the hot honey butter sauce, you could swap out the chili flakes for Calabrian chili paste.
Can I add other toppings to this pizza?
As long as you don’t overcrowd your pizza and make it impossible to pick up a slice, you can add any of your other favorite pizza toppings. This pizza would be amazing with bacon if you’d like to add a little meat, or with red onion or sweet onion. Make sure you pre-cook any additional toppings according to package directions.
What kind of pizza dough should I use?
That’s completely up to you. Use whatever you can find or whatever is easiest for you. If you prefer to go with a ready-made pizza dough to save time, grab either a frozen ball of pizza dough or the kind that comes in a tube and is already rolled out like the Pillsbury Pizza Crust (my recommendation). Some stores even carry dough that is already baked and ready to assemble (just don’t use the tomato sauce packets that are included). You could even make this pizza using a large flour tortilla if you can’t find pizza dough and don’t have time to make it. It won’t be the same, but it would still be delicious!
Can this pizza be made gluten free?
To make this pizza gluten free, either use a gluten free store-bought pizza dough, or use 1:1 gluten free flour as a substitute in the pizza dough recipe.
Do I need to roast the mushrooms for this pizza?
Raw mushrooms are totally fine as a pizza topping. However, mushrooms release a lot of liquid when cooking, so this can sometimes lead to a soggy pizza. Roasting the mushrooms beforehand helps ensure the liquid is evaporated and gives the mushrooms a great caramelized flavor.
Can I freeze this pizza?
You can freeze this pizza once it’s cooked, but it can be a bit tricky due to the size. If you’d like to make this in advance and freeze it to have an easy meal on hand for later, I’d recommend freezing the cooked pizza uncovered for 1-2 hours first. That way, the cheese and toppings won’t stick to the wrapper. Then, remove the pizza from the freezer, cover it well with two layers of plastic wrap so it doesn’t get freezer burnt, and store it in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to bake it, just preheat your oven to 400° and bake it for 10-15 minutes until the crust and toppings are hot and the cheese is bubbling. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the pizza before it’s cooked because the crust could get soggy since it’s not pre-baked.
How do I store this pizza?
To store, cut the pizza into slices and place in a sealed container or wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator and eat within 5 days, although I doubt you’ll be able to resist eating it for that long.
Recipe Card
Roasted Squash and Mushroom Pizza
Equipment
- 1 rolling pin, optional
Ingredients
- 1 small delicata squash, peeled and diced (about 1 ½ cups; see Note 1)
- 1 cup cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 pizza dough (about 400 grams), store-bought or homemade (see Note 2)
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ⅔ cup goat cheese, crumbled (see Note 3)
- 10-12 sage leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
Hot Honey Roasted Garlic Butter Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 6-7 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ¼ tsp salt, or more to taste
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp chili flakes
Other
- Flour, for rolling
- 1 tsp olive oil, for the roasted garlic
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, for the roasted garlic
Instructions
- Gather all your equipment and ingredients and chop your vegetables then preheat your oven to 375℉ and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil
- Slice the top off the head of garlic and drizzle it with olive oil and salt and pepper; place it cut side down on the baking sheet and bake it for 10-15 minutes while you chop the veggies (it doesn't matter if the oven is not fully preheated yet)
- In a large bowl, toss together squash, mushrooms, olive oil, salt, black pepper and smoked paprika
- Carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheet with the roasted garlic and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are beginning to char
- Remove the vegetables from the oven and set aside to cool; increase the oven temperature to 425℉
- Carefully remove the parchment paper or foil from the baking sheet and replace with a fresh piece so you can use the same pan to bake the pizza; if your baking sheet is not large enough for both pizzas, prepare a second baking sheet
- Divide the pizza dough in half, then roll out or hand pull each dough to about a 10-12 inch circle about ⅓ of an inch thick, sprinkling with flour as needed so it does not stick (see Note 4)
- Make the hot honey roasted garlic butter; melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in bursts of 20 seconds, then add the roasted garlic cloves and mash them into the butter
- Add the dried parsley, salt, honey and chili flakes and mix until combined
- Brush each pizza dough all over with the roasted garlic butter, leaving a small border for the crust
- Top with the mozzarella cheese, followed by the roasted squash and mushrooms, the goat cheese crumbles and sage ribbons
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden and crispy
- Cut into 4-6 slices and serve
Notes
Nutrition
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