By Kathryn Reed

We all get in ruts with things we make or want to eat. My favorite homemade pizza is Sue’s spinach pesto.

But I knew one pizza would not be enough for four – especially if that was all that was being served. Lucky for me my sister, Tami, shared the recipe below via Facebook. She posted the link from MyRecipes.com, which got it from the September 2002 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

It’s a combination of ingredients that I would have never put together. It’s also a recipe that Pam, Tom, Sue and I all say is a keeper.

I used butternut squash and fontina. I was lazy and used a prepared crust instead of making my own. But I did use my own pesto. I blend up a ton in the fall and then freeze it so I have plenty on hand until the farmers’ markets start. I’m down to my last bag, so it’s a good thing it’s farmers’ market season.

I would think fresh tomatoes when in season could be substituted for the canned. But canned have more flavor than the waxy things sold in supermarkets in the winter and spring.

Pesto Pizza with Butternut Squash

6 (1/4-inch-thick) slices peeled butternut squash or pumpkin (about 1/2 pound)

2 teaspoons sugar

¾ tsp olive oil

Cooking spray

½ C (2 ounces) shredded fontina or Gouda cheese

Pizza dough

1 (14.5-ounce) can finely chopped tomatoes, drained

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ C pesto

½ C (2 ounces) grated fresh Romano or Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Place squash mixture on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Sprinkle fontina over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border; top with squash mixture, tomatoes, and oregano. Drop pesto by level teaspoons onto mixture; sprinkle with Romano. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.