This easy fall flatbread pizza starts with store-bought naan that is topped with a creamy butternut squash sauce, savory plant-based sausage, and sweet caramelized shallots. Ready in about 35 minutes, it’s a cozy vegetarian dinner perfect for fall!
A Fall Flatbread Pizza in Just 35 Minutes Without Making Pizza Dough!
If you want all the cozy flavors of a fall pizza without making homemade dough, you’ve come to the right place! This easy flatbread pizza is built on a base of store-bought naan bread. It’s topped with a no-cook butternut squash sauce, plant-based sausage, caramelized shallots, and of course, cheese! It’s ready in 35 minutes or less and is perfect for an easy fall weeknight dinner.
The great thing about this fall flatbread pizza is that you can enjoy it alone without any sides to keep it super simple, or pair it with your favorite salad. I can usually whip up this kale, apple, and celery salad in the amount of time it takes the pizza to bake and it’s such a great way to add more plants to your plate. This butternut squash flatbread can also work as an appetizer for fall gatherings and holiday meals! Simply cut it into smaller slices and plan on serving it right out of the oven.
JUMP STRAIGHT TO:
- Fall Flatbread Key Ingredients
- How to Make This Fall Pizza in 35 Minutes or Less
- Time-Saving Tips
- Pairings and Serving Suggestions
Fall Flatbread Pizza Key Ingredients
Even though I made this fall pizza with naan, it will work with any flatbread or pre-cooked plain pizza crust either regular or gluten free. The key is to make sure you are using something that is ready-to-eat rather than something that is raw or requires baking before the toppings are added.
You can use any plant-based sausage that you like but I tend to prefer one that is already ground/crumbled or one that is in links that can be crumbled or broken up in the pan. Since plant-based sausage can be quite a spend these days, I recommend making the tempeh bacon bits from this recipe and using them instead for a more budget-friendly option.
Cheese is arguably the most important part of a pizza! For this naan pizza, I’m pairing traditional shredded mozzarella with a nutty alpine-style cheese (i.e. a vegetarian Gruyere). The mozzarella gets all nice and melty while the alpine-style cheese lends a nutty flavor that complements the butternut squash sauce and plant-based sausage. Since a vegetarian alpine-style cheese can be harder to find, parmesan makes a great sub!
How to Make this Fall Pizza in 35 Minutes or Less
Caramelize the shallots first. While they caramelize, get all of the other ingredients ready to make the most of your time. As soon as the shallot are caramelized, remove them from the pan and add the plant-based sausage. Cook it according to the package instructions. I like to ensure mine is nice and browned!
While the sausage cooks, mix together the butternut squash sauce. Each naan is topped with the butternut sauce, shredded cheese, cooked shallots and plant-based sausage, and some sage leaves. Bake the pizzas on an UN-LINED baking sheet to ensure the bottom crisps up. If the bottom doesn’t crisp up, your pizza will be floppy and hard to eat.
Time-Saving Tips
In my opinion, 35 minutes is fairly quick for a homemade pizza but here are a couple of ways that you can shave off a little time if you’d like an even quicker fall dinner:
- Cook the shallots and plant-based sausage together rather than separately. I really LOVE the flavor of caramelized shallots so that’s how I developed the recipe but it tastes just as delicious if they are cooked together and shaves about 6-8 minutes off the total time.
- Use a plant-based sausage that is sold fully cooked, like the links from Field Roast. You don’t need to cook these beforehand and can simply slice or chop them up and add them to the pizza right before you bake it. This will shave about 8-10 minutes off the total time.
Pairings and Serving Suggestions
This fall flatbread pizza is perfectly acceptable as a stand-alone dinner in my opinion but if you feel the need to add a side that doesn’t require any cooking, I think a salad is your best bet! If you’re making this easy flatbread pizza for a fall gathering or dinner party, I think this blood orange and fennel salad would be the perfect fresh complement. Or, if you want to pack in more fall produce, I highly recommend this kale, apple, and celery salad!
This main dish can also stand-in as an appetizer — simply cut it into smaller pieces! I think this would be an especially delicious appetizer for Thanksgiving or any fall dinner party. Since it has to be served warm, you can assemble the pizza beforehand, keep it covered in the fridge, then bake it right before you want to serve it.
Fall Flatbread Pizza with Butternut Squash & Plant-Based Sausage
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This easy fall flatbread pizza starts with store-bought naan that is topped with a creamy butternut squash sauce, savory plant-based sausage, and sweet caramelized shallots. Ready in about 35 minutes, it’s a cozy vegetarian dinner perfect for fall.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 8–10 ounces plant-based sausage
- 2/3 cup butternut squash puree, or pumpkin puree
- 1 large garlic clove, finely minced or pressed
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, depending on your desired heat level
- 2 large naan
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Alpine-style cheese, or parmesan
- 1 handful fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and set a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet and once it starts to shimmer, add the shallots and thyme. Cook, stirring every 30-60 seconds, until the shallot is golden and caramelized (about 6-8 minutes).
- Scoop the caramelized shallots out into a small bowl then return the skillet to the burner and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the plant-based sausage and cook it according to the package instructions.
- While the sausage cooks, add the butternut squash puree, minced garlic, sea salt, and chili flakes to a small bowl and mix well.
- When the sausage is done, remove the pan from the heat. Place both naan on a large baking sheet. Do not line it with parchment paper because this will prevent the bottom from crisping up. Divide the butternut sauce between each naan, spreading it in an even layer. Divide the shredded mozzarella and shredded Alpine-style cheese between both naan, scattering it on top of the butternut sauce. Divide the caramelized shallots and cooked sausage between each pizza then top each with a small handful of fresh sage leaves.
- Bake the naan pizzas in the preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes until the bottom and sides of the naan are crisp and the cheese is melted.
- Slice and serve! Leftovers can be kept in the fridge and enjoyed within 4-5 days. Reheat leftovers in an airfyer (330 degrees for 7-8 minutes) or the oven (350 degrees for about 10 minutes).
Notes
If you don’t have access to canned butternut squash puree, you can use pumpkin puree.
An alpine-style cheese is a Gruyere cheese that is made without animal rennet. If you can’t easily find one, you can sub in an equal amount of shredded parmesan. If you are not vegetarian, feel free to use a regular Gruyere.
You’ll need two large/regular-sized naan, not mini naan, for the recipe. You can use any flatbread you like here if you don’t want to use naan. If you use a pre-cooked pizza crust, you’ll have enough toppings for one pizza.
If you are serving the pizza alone without any sides, it makes enough for 2 generous servings. If you are serving it with sides, you’ll get about 4 servings.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 28-30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
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