I’m #blessed to have a close friend who lives down the road and is growing yellow summer squash like it’s going out of style. Luckily, he’s sharing the wealth. With a lot of summer squash on my plate (ha-ha!), I’ve been inspired to make a homemade summer squash pizza with goat cheese, zucchini, and mozzarella di Bufula. A little garlic, olive oil, and onion provide a flavorful base for this canvas of delicately flavored squash. It’s the perfect pizza for summer with seasonal vegetables and light yet tangy cheese. This pie is best-enjoyed al fresco with a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
Goat Cheese Brings Tang to Delicate Summer Squash Flavor
I have to admit, squash doesn’t usually inspire me as much as it has with this pizza. Whether it’s sautéed or roasted, the high water content tends to make the texture mushy if not done well and the flavor is always pretty mild. With lots of this seasonal veg around to be used up (if you’ve ever grown squash, you’ll know those plants produce like crazy!), I’m loving this use of it on pizza.
The base of this pizza is simple glaze of extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper. No marinara sauce here. After a light layer of white onion, it’s time to pile on the mozzarella di Bufula and goat cheese. The goat cheese brings some tang to this pizza without entirely overpowering the squash.
Top Your Summer Squash Pizza with Pine Nuts and Scallions
A few additional embellishments make this pizza’s flavor profile truly spectacular. I toasted some pine nuts, sliced some scallions, and grated fresh Parmesan for texture and flavor. There is definitely flexibility here – maybe you have walnuts or pistachios on hand. Either could be a great alternative to pine nuts.
Other fresh herbs to consider besides scallions could be parsley or tarragon. No Parm in the house? A little grating of Gruyère or Asiago is just fine! Anything that keeps the flavor profile light, tangy, fresh, and herbaceous can work. Enjoy experimenting!
Sauvignon Blanc Complements The Salty, Herbaceous Flavor Profile
A Sauvignon Blanc is a slam dunk choice for pairing with this summer squash pizza. It hits all of the right notes – high acidity as well as citrus, grassy, and herbaceous flavors. It’s light and doesn’t overpower anything.
Not to mention, it’s perfect served chilled which is just what we all need when digging into this summery pie al fresco this season (or any time of year the craving hits!).
I opened this 2020 Luxana Sauvignon Blanc from North Coast, California, and was not disappointed. It’s a very classic expression of Sauvignon Blanc – no surprises in this bottle. I didn’t go out of my way for this specific bottle by any means, I just received it in a box from Firstleaf. No Firstleaf sponsorship here and in fact, I probably won’t be getting another one but I couldn’t resist a particularly discounted offer to give them a try… Nonetheless, I’d certainly recommend this Luxana Sauv Blanc to pair with this recipe!
I’d love to hear what you all are drinking with this pizza so let me know what you choose in the comments!
Not in the mood for white wine but want a red to enjoy chilled with this ‘za? Check out these 5 Red Wines to Enjoy Chilled.
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Summer Squash Pizza with Goat Cheese
Description
Yellow summer squash, zucchini, goat cheese, and mozzarella di Bufula come together to make a delicious summer pizza that pairs perfectly with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc. Tangy, salty, and fresh, you’ll be craving this pie all season long.
Ingredients
- Your preferred pizza dough or pre-made pizza base
- 1/4 small white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 summer squash, thinly sliced
- Goat cheese, crumbled
- Mozzarella di Bufula, shredded
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
- Fresh scallions, sliced
- 2–3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- Freshly grated Parmesan
- Red chili flakes, salt, and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare your pizza dough based on your preferred recipe or simply use a pre-made pizza crust from the grocery store. If frozen, let it thaw.
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Brush the base of pizza crust with olive oil and minced garlic. Then, sprinkle with red chili flakes to your taste.
- Next, evenly layer the thinly sliced white onion around the crust.
- Now it’s time to add the cheese! Sprinkly the shredded mozzarella di Bufula all over the pizza to your heart’s desire.
- Arrange the sliced summer squash and zucchini in alternating concentric circles (for aesthetics! you can also just place them on randomly if you want).
- On top of the zucchini and squash, sprinkle some goat cheese crumbles. Top off with a few grinds of salt to your taste. Add a final light drizzle of olive oil on top; this prevents the squash from looking too dried out after the water evaporates in the oven.
- Place pizza crust directly onto the oven rack and let bake until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and maybe a little browned if you’re like me and enjoy it that way. Depending on the oven, this step may take 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it until it reaches your desired browning, and make a note of how long it took for next time!
- While the pizza bakes, toast your pine nuts in a pan on the stove over medium heat for just about 1-1.5 minutes. These babies can burn FAST so keep a very close eye on them!
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool slightly. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts, some freshly grated Parmesan, a grind or two of black pepper, and a handful of freshly sliced scallions.
- Serve hot with a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc!
Sydney is a 29-year old American living between France and Italy. She has a WSET Level 2 certification in wine, along with a degree in environmental engineering and an MBA. She loves exploring local farmer’s markets, haunting her favorite wine bar, and discovering new restaurants.
