This vegetarian pizza is anything but boring. Thanks to the white miso and ricotta spread combined with roasted butternut squash, this pizza is perfect for anyone who loves the sweet and salty combo!

I wish I could take credit for the idea of combining miso and ricotta, but sadly this genius idea was from one of Bry’s work friends. One night a few weeks back we were treated to dinner at his place, which ended up being an impressive spread of five or six very non-traditional pizzas. I know some people are pizza traditionalists, but I love how creative some people get with pizza, and this guy was no joke. While I never would have thought to put many of the toppings and spreads together, they all worked so well. My favorite of the night was a miso-ricotta pizza. Rather than pizza sauce, he combined miso paste with ricotta, and then topped the pizza with more cheese, sliced red onion, and fresh herbs. The savoriness of the miso was just so different and appetizing, and I kept thinking just how good it would be paired with something on the sweeter side such as squash or sweet potato.

So here we are. And let me tell you, I’m still head over heels for this flavor combo. Prior to making this pizza I was too scared to cook with miso. It sounds strange, but I never grew up cooking with many Asian ingredients, so it always seemed like something reserved for restaurants to use. Now I realize how silly that all is. Miso paste is super easy to cook with! Plus, it lasts for about 6 months in the fridge after opening – which is good because most recipes only call for a few teaspoons or tablespoons at a time. If you’re having trouble finding it, I recommend checking out Whole Foods (unless you’re lucky enough to have an Asian grocery store near you). It will be in the refrigerated section, likely near the tofu and other soy and vegan products. I went with a white miso as it’s a bit sweeter and less salty than the miso our friend used. But if all you can find is the saltier miso then go with it, just be sure to slowly add the miso to the ricotta mixture, tasting as you go.

Besides the addition of butternut squash, I also changed up the recipe by using a low-fat ricotta, less miso paste, adding fresh thyme, and using a whole-wheat pizza crust. Oh and I added some thawed frozen spinach. I think it’d also be delicious with caramelized red onion on top or scallions! Have any other ideas? I’d love to hear what you end up trying!

This week is pizza week here at The Healthy Toast. I feel like it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a really good pizza recipe, and that’s just wrong as I love my pizza recipes (not to be cocky or anything 😉 ). Yes, they aren’t traditional, but pizza dough to me is like a blank canvas, just begging to be filled with new flavor combinations and textures.

For the long weekend, Bry, Bernie and I went up to Steamboat to get some skiing in with my parents. I feel like having a puppy is a sliver of what it must be like to be a new parent. I had his doggy bag all packed, made sure to find some toys to keep him entertained in the car, and had to stop a few times to let him use the bathroom. I also felt so guilty leaving him for a few hours to go hit the slopes. Luckily we have a ski-in-ski-out so I was able to come in a couple times during the day (plus he was with my parent’s dog), but still, those big brown eyes just staring up at me every time I left were just heartbreaking. It’s amazing how quickly this little furball has made such a big imprint on our lives. 

So here’s a toast to getting out of your ingredient-comfort zone – I bet you’ll be happy you did!

Print Recipe

Miso-Ricotta Pizza with Roasted Butternut Squash

This vegetarian pizza is anything but boring. Thanks to the white miso and ricotta spread combined with roasted butternut squash, this pizza is perfect for anyone who loves the sweet and salty combo!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Pizza

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Butternut Squash, Miso, Pizza, Vegetarian

Servings: 4

Calories: 515kcal

Author: Kelli

Ingredients

• 1 batch homemade or store bought whole-wheat pizza dough
• Cornmeal to roll out dough
• 1 generous cup of part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 Tbsp white miso paste
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme stems removed
• Pinch black pepper
• 2 cups roasted butternut squash cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1-2 cups frozen spinach thawed and ringed out well (the less water the better!)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Pinch red pepper flakes for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Cover a clean surface with cornmeal (or flour) and roll out pizza dough. Place on a pizza stone or round baking pan.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine ricotta, miso paste, fresh thyme, and pinch of black pepper. Spread miso-ricotta mixture evenly over pizza dough.
• Top pizza with roasted squash, spinach, and mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 20-25 min, or until bottom of crust is a nice golden brown.
• Remove from oven and cut into 8 slices. Option to sprinkle red pepper flakes on top. Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition for 1/4 of recipe: 515 calories, 9 g saturated fat, 59 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 23 g protein