Vegetarian pumpkin face pizza with Hokkaido squash cream and mozzarella

Vegetarian pumpkin face pizza with a spelt base, Hokkaido squash cream instead of tomato sauce, mozzarella and a face made of olives. A Halloween dinner for the whole family.

At a glance

• Serves 4
• Prep time: 75 min
• Cooking time: 30 min
• Total time: 105 min
• Calories: 538 kcal per serving
• Protein: 24 g
• Fat: 19 g
• Carbs: 65 g

Ingredients

• 300g spelt flour
• 180ml water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 500g Hokkaido squash
• 1 garlic clove
• 250g mozzarella
• 8 olives
• 30g rocket
• 1/2 cube of fresh yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp thyme

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray · stick blender · chopping board · knife · sieve

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and knead it with the spelt flour, 1 tbsp olive oil and most of the salt for 5 minutes into a smooth dough. Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
2. Dice the squash with its skin on and cook it, covered, with a little water for 12 minutes until soft. Drain off the water.
3. Blend the squash with the garlic, thyme, the rest of the olive oil and a pinch of salt into a thick cream.
4. Preheat the oven to 240 °C (220 °C fan) with a baking tray inside. Roll the dough out into a circle on baking paper and spread the squash cream over it, leaving a 1 cm border all round.
5. Tear the mozzarella over the top, cut the black olives into strips and use them to make eyes, a nose and a zigzag mouth. Slide the pizza on its paper onto the hot tray and bake at 240 °C for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edge is browned.
6. Lay the rocket at the top as a stalk and cut the pizza into slices.

Good to know

This pizza is a pumpkin itself: squash cream instead of tomato sauce, topped with a face made of olives and a stalk of rocket. You knead the dough from spelt flour, and everyone helps with the toppings. On Halloween night, one tray is enough for four.

Swaps

Spelt flour → wholemeal flour (stronger flavour). Mozzarella → vegan grated cheese (vegan; choose one without seed oils). Hokkaido squash → butternut squash (peeled). Olives → strips of pepper for the face.

Cooking tips

A tray that preheats with the oven makes the base crisp. The squash cream should be thick, or the dough will go soggy.

Storage

Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge and crisp up again in the oven at 200 °C in 8 minutes.

Allergens

Contains gluten (spelt) and milk; no egg or nuts. Suitable for children; in pregnancy, use mozzarella made from pasteurised milk.

Frequently asked questions

How long does pumpkin face pizza keep in the fridge?

Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge and crisp up again in the oven at 200 °C in 8 minutes.