Butternut Squash Pork Pie

Always on the hunt to find uses for butternut squash.  This is a delicious addition to a pizza and there is the lovely benefit of veggie vitamins.  Did not have any Italian sausage in the freeze or frig, but I did have some fresh ground pork.  So, I cooked the raw pork crumbles, seasoned heavily with Italian seasonings, garlic and onion and topped a boboli crust with a butternut squash/marinara base as a  sauce and it worked.  It was a good supper with a fresh salad.

1 thin Boboli pizza crust

4 ounce of defrosted butternut squash puree, drained

1/2 cup of prepared marinara sauce

1/2 lb of fresh ground pork

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of dried rosemary

1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning

I/2 tsp of Montreal Steak Seasoning

2 cloves of minced garlic, minced fine!

1/2 yellow onion chopped fine

4 slices of monterey jack cheese

3/4 cup of shredded jack, cheddar mix

no oil, no butter oy vey

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat pizza stone.

Cook raw pork until no longer pink with garlic, onion and seasonings.

Mix butternut squash with marinara

Place crust on a pizza paddle,

Spread on mixed sauce.

top with four slices of cheese of jack cheese (only because it was getting dried out on the edges)

Spread with cooled crumbled pork, onion, garlic and seasonings.

Top overall with shredded cheese

cook 10 minutes at 425.

Broil, 3 minutes to toast the cheese.

Ready to cook.

Ready to EAT!  YUM!

Roasted Butternut And Red Pepper Soup

I've had roasted red pepper and tomato soup and loved the flavor combination.  I found a surplus of cooked squash in the deep freeze.  Hmm, what to do?  I decided to combine the butternut squash with the red pepper soup and it was a delightful fast flavorful soup.  The addition of pasteurized refrigerated crab made it a meal.    The added benefit of another vitamin rich veggie and a subtle thickening without using heavy cream.  Bonus!  A dash of chili oil gives it extra zing!


3 tbsp of olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp of thyme, dried and crumbled in your fingers to release aroma
1 tsp of marjoram, dried and crumbled
1 12 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained
2 packages of frozen butternut squash, thawed but not drained
1 can of beef broth, low salt
1 can of chicken broth, low salt (14 1/2 oz)
two strips of fresh lemon zest (zest remaining lemon for topping, fine grate)
1/2 lb. of fresh claw crab meat ( lump if you can afford it), all shell removed  (totally optional, soup is good without it)
salt and pepper
lemon zest, minced chives or parsley as garnish
chili oil or lemon oil as a flavor punch drizzle

Heat oil in large sauce pan over moderate heat for a few minutes, add onions, garlic, herbs and cook until fragrant and soft.
Add drained roasted red peppers, defrosted squash, both broths and the strips of lemon zest.  Bring to a low simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove lemon zest.
Cool slightly and then puree in batches in a blender.
Return to low heat, keep warm, taste and add salt and pepper to taste.  Add crab meat and heat gently.  Serve with crusty french bread (preferred) or a dinner roll, if that is what you have on hand.  ~wink~

After blending and stirring in crab, reduced on low.  

In my bowl with a drizzle of chili oil.