Roasted Butternut Squash Flatbread Recipe

Not all vegetables can make the move from side dish to entrée, but butternut squash, with its rich, meaty flavor, has no trouble with the transition.

Butternut squash is a hearty, starchy squash that a lot of vegetarians enjoy as a main course," says Katherine Humphus, executive chef of Bo-Beau in Long Beach, California, adding a depth of flavor and soft sultriness." 

Humphus' flatbread is the very essence of cool weather flavor—and the perfect way to appease the vegetarian at your table. It makes the most of the harvest with melted leeks, roasted butternut squash and sautéed Swiss chard, plus cheese, chimichurri sauce, pumpkin seeds and a fried egg. 

"The fall vegetables are really filling and the fried egg is the icing on top," she says. "The squash and chard add a lot of earthiness, while the leeks and chimichurri sauce brighten up the dish. And the pumpkin seeds add a great crunch to an otherwise creamy flatbread."

Roasted Butternut Squash Flatbread

Courtesy of Katherine Humphus, executive chef of Bo-Beau, Long Beach, California

• 1 flatbread crust
• 1 tablespoon garlic oil
• ¼ cup melted leeks
• 1 cup Italian blend of shredded cheese (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, percorino)
• 1/3 cup sauteed Swiss chard
• 8 pieces roasted butternut squash
• 1 fried egg
• 3 tablespoon chimichurri sauce
• ¼ cup roasted pumpkin seeds

Garlic Oil

• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves

Place in blender and combine. 

Melted leeks

• 1 bunch leeks
• ¼ cup butter
• 3 cups cream
• Salt and pepper

Slice the white part of leeks and wash very well. Begin cooking in large sauté pan with butter, salt, and pepper. Add cream, salt and pepper. Cook until very soft. Cool down. 

Roasted butternut squash

• 1 butternut squash
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Peel squash and remove seeds. Slice into thin strips, half circles, and other shapes. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread out on sheet trays thinly (no squash should be on top of another). Cook on sheet trays until semi soft. About 10-12 minutes.  

Rosemary chimichurri

• 1 cup parsley leaves
• ½ cup cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons tarragon
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 4 tablespoons rosemary
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup olive oil

Combine in blender. Blend until fine. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Sautéed Swiss chard

• 1 bunch Swiss chard
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Olive oil to coat the pan

Remove leaves from Swiss chard stems. Cook in saute pan over medium heat until completely soft. Season with salt and pepper. 

Fried egg

• 1 egg
• Salt, pepper
• Olive oil to coat the pan

Heat a small non-stick pan lightly. Place olive oil inside. Crack an egg into pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until egg white is set but yolk is still runny. 

Assembly

Preheat oven to 450. If you have a pizza stone, place pizza stone in oven. If you do not have a pizza stone, place a sheet tray in the oven while oven is heating up. 

Working over parchment paper, rub 1 tablespoon of garlic oil into flatbread crust. 

Using the back of a spoon, spread ¼ cup of melted leeks on top of crust. 

Using half of the shredded Italian blend of cheese, sprinkle ½ cup on top of leeks. 

Next, spread out the roasted butternut squash and Swiss chard on top. Place the remaining ½ cup of Italian blend of cheese on top. Place the flatbread on the hot pizza stone or sheet tray and bake until cooked—about 20 minutes. In the meantime, make the chimichurri sauce and the fried egg. Once the flatbread comes out of the oven, top with fried egg, chimichurri sauce, and roasted pumpkin seeds.