February 16, 2025

Canadiannpizza

Cooking Is My World

Spicy Vegan Butternut Squash Flatbread

Spicy Vegan Butternut Squash Flatbread

This is an exceptionally flavourful vegan butternut squash flatbread (If I do say so myself haha). The dough is brushed with chili crunch before being topped with za’atar-roasted cubes of squash and garlic slices, shallots, a creamy and tangy miso garlic sauce, and a super fresh arugula fennel salad.

An overhead shot of a round, vegan butternut squash flatbread topped with an arugula fennel salad and drizzles of a creamy white sauce.
An up close, overhead shot of a round, vegan butternut squash flatbread topped with an arugula fennel salad and drizzles of a creamy white sauce.
An overhead shot of ingredients used for a vegan butternut squash flatbread dinner.
An up close, overhead shot of a pile of cut butternut squash with a lot of za'atar on top.
An overhead shot of a creamy white sauce in a small blender container.

This spicy vegan butternut squash flatbread has so many of my favourite flavours! Slightly sweet roasted butternut squash is given full coverage by earthy and slightly sour za’atar. Slices of garlic get crispy alongside. All of that is piled onto pillowy dough brushed with chili crunch (my new fave!) and cooked on a mega hot stone. The finished flatbread is drizzled with a creamy, tangy, and garlicky miso sauce and a fresh arugula fennel salad. Such a great welcome to Fall cooking!

One of my best bits of advice for making pizza/flatbreads at home is to invest in a pizza stone and peel. Nothing beats that high heat from all sides of the oven in addition to the stone crisping up your crust. It’s a game changer! I build my pizza on a circle of parchment paper with a little tab on the side. I find this so much easier to transfer to the hot stone.

  • If you really like spice (like me!), you can go for 2 tablespoons of chili crunch instead of mixing it 50/50 with olive oil.
  • I mostly buy pizza dough from a local grocery store, but I do have a spelt pizza dough recipe here.
  • The miso garlic sauce is super savoury and tangy, and would work great on grain bowls, salads, as a little drizzle on roasted sweet potatoes etc.
  • If you do weekly meal prep, you could pre-roast the squash and garlic, store it in the fridge and just have it ready for pizza time! Doing this would cut the prep time down considerably.

I have so many great vegan dinner recipes for the upcoming season! This is the time of year where my cooking style tends to shine. I just like cozy food! I recommend checking out my Creamy Vegan Orzo Risotto with Butternut Squash and this Vegan Soup Recipes roundup for a bit more inspiration.

An overhead shot of roasted butternut squash that is absolutely covered in za'atar.
An overhead image shows a flatbread being assembled. Chili oil has been brushed on the surface and roasted cubes of squash are being placed on top by a hand.
A slight 3/4 angle shot shows a ceramic bowl with a baby arugula and shaved fennel salad. A bottle of olive oil is blurry and in front of the salad bowl.
An overhead shot shows a baked butternut squash flatbread before being topped with an arugula fennel salad and a creamy miso garlic sauce.
An overhead image shows a butternut squash flatbread being drizzled with a creamy white sauce.
An overhead shot of a round, vegan butternut squash flatbread topped with an arugula fennel salad and drizzles of a creamy white sauce.

Spicy Vegan Butternut Squash Flatbread with Za’atar & Miso Garlic Sauce

This is an exceptionally flavourful vegan butternut squash flatbread. The dough is brushed with chili crunch before being topped with za’atar-roasted cubes of squash, shallots, a creamy and tangy miso garlic sauce, and a super fresh arugula fennel salad.

An overhead shot of a round, vegan butternut squash flatbread topped with an arugula fennel salad and drizzles of a creamy white sauce.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Servings 2 -4

Ingredients

Za’atar Butternut Squash

  • 3-4 cups small-diced butternut squash about 1 small butternut or honey nut squash
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons za’atar plus extra
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
  • sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Miso Garlic Sauce (makes extra)

  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons avocado or other neutral-flavoured oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon light miso
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Flatbread Assembly

  • 1 lb 454 grams pizza dough
  • 1 tablespoon chili crunch or other chili-infused oil option
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small shallot peeled and sliced
  • 1 small fennel bulb shaved thin
  • 2 handfuls baby arugula
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Notes

  • If you really like spice (like me!), you can go for 2 tablespoons of chili crunch instead of mixing it 50/50 with olive oil.
  • I mostly buy pizza dough from a local grocery store, but I do have a spelt pizza dough recipe here.
  • The miso garlic sauce is super savoury and tangy, and would work great on grain bowls, salads, as a little drizzle on roasted sweet potatoes etc.
  • If you do weekly meal prep, you could pre-roast the squash and garlic, store it in the fridge and just have it ready for pizza time! Doing this would cut the prep time down considerably.

Instructions

  • Lay a pizza stone on the bottom rack of a cold oven, ensuring that there’s enough clearance above to transfer the pizza, but also an accessible rack at the very top to roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  • Transfer the butternut squash to a baking sheet and toss with 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil, the za’atar, garlic slices, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat and transfer to the oven. Roast until the squash cubes are tender and browning on the edges, about 25-30 minutes. Let it cool slightly.

  • While squash is roasting, make the miso garlic sauce. In an upright blender, combine the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, miso, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, water, and pepper. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

  • Once squash is done, raise the heat of the oven to 500°F.

  • Dust your working surface and a pizza peel with flour OR line the peel with a piece of parchment paper. Start stretching out the dough until you have a 12-inch circle of even thickness. Carefully transfer the dough circle to the floured/papered peel. If you use the paper method, trim the paper so that you have a ½ inch border around the circle of dough.

  • Jiggle the pizza peel to ensure that the flatbread will come loose. If it’s sticking, carefully lift up the edges and toss in a bit more flour until it seems to loosen from the peel.

  • In a little bowl, mix together the chili crunch and olive oil, then spread it over the surface of the stretched out dough. Then, top the flatbread with the roasted butternut squash and garlic mixture, as well as the thinly sliced shallots. I like to press the toppings into the surface of the dough a bit, kind of like how I would if I was making focaccia. Season the top with more za’atar if you like.

  • Open the oven and with equal measures of care and efficiency, slide the flatbread off of the peel and onto the hot stone with a few flicks of your wrist (or just pull a tab of the parchment paper if you went with that option). Close the oven immediately.

  • While flatbread is baking, toss the fennel and arugula together with the lemon juice, 1½ tablespoons olive oil, and some salt and pepper.

  • Let the flatbread cook for 7 minutes. Open the oven and, using the peel, rotate the pizza. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the top crust is browning in spots and the shallots have shrunk up a bit.

  • Remove the flatbread from the oven and cut into slices. Drizzle with some of the miso garlic sauce, top with the fennel arugula salad, and serve!

An 3/4 angle shot of a round, vegan butternut squash flatbread topped with an arugula fennel salad and drizzles of a creamy white sauce.