Sauce not necessary (Delicata Squash and Sausage Pizza with Ricotta and Honey)

One of the main reasons I buy local produce is to try new things.  One new thing in the first fall share of my Covey Rise veggies was delicata squash.  As you saw yesterday, I stuffed one with quinoa and sausage.  I had one left and decided to use it for a book club.  I got a new Food and Wine magazine in the mail and stumbled across a pizza, well a crostada as they call it, with delicata squash.  I decided to modify it into a pizza.  

I want to make the crostada one day because it sounds amazing!  But this was really good on plain old whole wheat pizza dough.  I am more of a sauce on pizza girl so I wanted some sauce, but it was still so delicious.  I used the leftover ricotta for another recipe and the herby deliciousness was just great!  

I love trying new things on pizza and you should as well!  If you can't find delicata squash, any winter one will do, you just will probably have to pre roast it if it is thick.  Try this, it was so easy and I even just used whole foods already made dough!  Full recipe to follow the montage.

The cast.  I only used two links of the sausage!

Turkey Sausage always browns up just as nice!

Add in your squash to get it going.  Mine was small so it cooked rather quick.

Just a beautiful fall pizza!

Delicata Squash and Sausage Pizza with Ricotta and Honey (adapted from Food and Wine)

1 recipe pizza dough
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces mild Italian sausage links, casings removed (I used Turkey)
1 (12-ounce) delicata or acorn squash, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon honey, plus more for drizzling
flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
Fresh oregano leaves
Crushed red pepper (optional) 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage cook, breaking up  with a wooden spoon, until meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; add squash, a few grinds of black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; stir until well combined.  Stir together ricotta, oregano, honey, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl. Place dough on a pizza pan. Spread ricotta mixture over dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Scatter squash-sausage mixture in an even layer over ricotta mixture. Bake in preheated oven until nicely browned and crisp, 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately drizzle generously with honey. Scatter oregano leaves over filling, and, sprinkle with red pepper and flaky salt. Cut, serve and enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Missy

Linking up with Meal Plan Monday and Tasty Tuesdays