Roasted Honeynut Squash & Kale Pizza with Goat Cheese

Roasted Honeynut Squash and Kale Pizza made with Food 52’s pizza crust — an autumn-perfect pie that balances sweet roasted squash, melty cheese, and tender kale. If you enjoy butternut squash, you’ll likely fall for honeynut squash: it’s sweeter, more nutrient-dense, and adds a lovely flavor to this pizza.

Honeynut squash is a smaller, sweeter variety of butternut squash. It packs more beta-carotene per serving than a similar amount of butternut and is an excellent source of vitamin A. Its compact size and sweet, nutty flavor make it ideal for roasting and topping pizzas.

First introduced within the last decade, honeynut squash has quickly grown in popularity and is now commonly found at farmers markets and specialty grocery stores. The small size makes it easy to roast in cubes, and the natural sweetness pairs beautifully with savory ingredients like mozzarella and kale.

I picked these honeynut squash up at my local farmers market and decided to roast them for pizza. Roasted vegetables on pizza are one of my favorite combinations, so this recipe was a natural choice.

Roasted Honeynut Squash and Kale Pizza

This pizza highlights roasted honeynut squash, baby kale, and plenty of mozzarella on Food 52’s crispy pan pizza crust. I often make variations of roasted-vegetable pizzas — zucchini ribbons, shaved asparagus, or other seasonal produce — and this combination is one of my favorites for fall.

I made the dough using the Food 52 recipe, roasted the honeynut squash until tender and caramelized, and assembled the pizza for baking.

Roasted Honeynut Squash and Kale Pizza

Click here for Food 52’s crispy cheese pan pizza recipe. This version is made without tomato sauce, but you can add a light layer of sauce if you prefer.

Prep Time
16 hrs

Cook Time
20 mins

Total Time
16 hrs 20 mins

Course: Main or Starter

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crispy pan pizza, pan pizza, pizza crust

Servings: 4

Author: hipfoodiemom

Equipment

• cast iron skillet (recommended)

Ingredients

• pizza dough from Food 52’s recipe
• 1 1/4 cups low-moisture mozzarella, grated
• roasted honeynut squash, cubed
• baby kale
• crushed hot pepper flakes, if desired
• finishing olive oil, pesto, or balsamic glaze for garnish

Instructions

1. To make the pizza dough, follow the Food 52 recipe.
2. About 30 minutes before baking, position one rack at the bottom of the oven and one toward the top (about 4–5 inches from the top heating element). Preheat the oven to 450°F.
3. When ready to bake, sprinkle about three-quarters of the mozzarella (about 1 cup) evenly over the dough. Cover the entire crust—no bare dough should show; this helps create caramelized, cheesy edges.
4. Arrange the roasted honeynut squash and baby kale over the cheese, careful not to overload the pizza.
5. Bake the pizza on the bottom rack for 18–20 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and the crust is a deep golden brown with a crisp bottom.
6. Remove the pizza from the oven and set the pan on a heatproof surface. Run a table knife or spatula between the pizza edge and the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking as it cools. Let it rest briefly, then transfer to a cutting surface to avoid a soggy crust.
7. Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes if desired and drizzle with finishing olive oil, pesto, or balsamic glaze. Slice and serve.