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5 Ingredient Pumpkin and Gouda Pizza

By Jamie Vespa

on Oct 27, 2021 Updated Oct 20, 2023

5 from 13 votes

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5 Ingredient Pumpkin and Gouda Pizza with caramelized onions and garlic makes for the ultimate fall pizza. A base of creamy pumpkin topped with melty gouda cheese and loads of aromatics, this cozy fall pie is worth ditching takeout for.

This may seem like an unlikely combo, but trust me, IT WORKS. 

I personally love using pumpkin puree in savory applications. For example, these Pumpkin and Poblano Enchiladas and this amazing Pumpkin all Vodka Pasta. 

This pizza, however, brings pumpkin puree to savory new HEIGHTS.

Gouda is subtly sweet, nutty, and ultra creamy—a natural match for luscious pumpkin puree. Caramelized onions add savory sweetness, and garlic amps up the aromatic flavor. Finish with chopped parsley for bright, lemon-y freshness, and you have the ultimate fall combo. 

How to Make the Ultimate Pumpkin Pizza

Let’s start with the dough: good pizza starts with good dough.

Out of the package, the dough should be smooth and pliable. Bonus points if it bakes into a soft crust with a hearty chew.

Now onto the caramelized onions: Almost any dish is made better with them. Caramelizing the right way (read: low and slow) tames their sharp, onion-y flavor, and coaxes out their natural sweetness and boosts umami.

The complexity they add is truly unrivaled and worth their 45 minute time stamp.

The Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough: I tried this with Trader Joe’s prepared pizza dough and it didn’t crisp up the way Whole Food’s dough did. If you don’t have a Whole Foods nearby and your local supermarket offers a great pre-made dough, use that!
• Pumpkin Puree: I prefer using Libby’s canned pumpkin puree, which has the purest pumpkin flavor. 
• Onion: You need 1 medium-large yellow onion, which should be sliced as thin as possible. See below for instructions on how to slice an onion for optimal caramelization. 
• Garlic: If you’re a mega garlic lover, feel free to use more than 3 cloves! Just make sure it’s fresh and not dried/granulated garlic.
• Cheese: Gouda is subtly sweet, nutty, and ultra creamy—a natural match for luscious pumpkin puree. Look for it in the speciality cheese section of your grocery store.
• Optional: I love adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat, and fresh parsley as a garnish. However the pizza is equally delicious without any additional add-ins.

The Directions:

Step 1: Caramelize the Onions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft.

Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook onions, stirring every few minutes to prevent them from sticking and coloring too much in any one place, until blonde-colored, 15 to 20 minutes. During the final 5 minutes, stir in garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes (if using).

Step 2: Assemble Pumpkin Pizza

Place a rack in center-top position of oven; preheat oven to 475°F. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet on rack.

Place dough on a flour-coated work surface; sprinkle with more flour, turning to coat. Stretch/roll out dough to a 12″ round. Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper, and pierce dough a few times with a fork (this helps prevent dough from bubbly up during baking.)

Spread pumpkin puree evenly over dough, leaving about 1/2 inch at border. Scatter caramelized onion and garlic mixture evenly over pumpkin; top evenly with gouda cheese.

Step 3: Bake Pizza

Place dough (on paper) on preheated stone or baking sheet; bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is crisp and cheese is melted. If desired, garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

FAQs and Expert Tips

How to Slice Onions for Caramelized Onions:

1. Start by slicing the onion in half through the root end. Use the tip of your knife to cut a V-shaped notch around root to remove it (this will ensure that all slices separate when you cut the onion).
2. Place half of the onion on your cutting board so root end is facing you. Thinly slice onion lengthwise, starting at one side and working all the way to the other.
3. Slice onion evenly into ¼”–⅛” thick slices.

How Long does it Take for Onions to Caramelize?

Caramelizing onions the right way (read: low and slow) tames their sharp, onion-y flavor, and coaxes out their natural sweetness and boosts umami. The complexity they add is truly unrivaled and worth the 40 minute time stamp.

What is the Best Way to Reheat Pizza?

My go-t0 method for reheating pizza is in the skillet! Here is how it’s done:

1. Add 1 or 2 slices of pizza to a skillet (cast iron works best) over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and slowly let the pizza re-crisp while it warms through.
2. It also helps to add a few drops of water to the pan, away from the pizza, and re-cover so that the cheese is steam-melted.

A note on storing leftover pizza:

You want to store pizza as airtight as possible to preserve its freshness. Place slices in a gallon-size resealable ziptop bag, or use plastic wrap followed by foil. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

More Savory Pumpkin Recipes to Try:

Cheesy Pumpkin Pasta Bake – reader favorite!

Skillet Poblano and Pumpkin Enchiladas

Thai Pumpkin Soup

If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag #dishingouthealth on Instagram so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Lastly, follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipe updates.

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5 from 13 votes

5 Ingredient Pumpkin and Gouda Pizza

By Jamie Vespa MS, RD

5 ingredient pumpkin and gouda pizza with caramelized onions and garlic makes for the ultimate fall pizza. A base of creamy pumpkin set off by gooey gouda cheese and loads of aromatics, this cozy fall pie is worth ditching takeout for.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Pizza stone or baking sheet

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 large (or 2 small-medium) yellow onion, peeled and sliced
• ▢ 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• ▢ 16 oz. fresh pizza dough, room temperature (or gluten free frozen pizza dough)
• ▢ 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
• ▢ 5 oz. freshly grated gouda cheese about 1 1/4 cups
• ▢ Optional: finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish

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Instructions 

• Caramelize Onions: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes, until soft.

  Reduce heat to low and continue to cook onions, stirring every few minutes to prevent them from sticking and coloring too much in any one place, until blonde-colored, 20 to 30 minutes. (Correctly caramelizing onions is a slow process, however the results are so worth it!)

  During the final 5 minutes, stir in garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes (if using).
• Prepare Pizza: Place a rack in center-top position of oven; preheat oven to 475°F. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet on rack.

  Place dough on a flour-coated work surface; sprinkle with more flour, turning to coat. Stretch/roll out dough to a 12 to 14" round. Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper, and pierce dough a few times with a fork (this helps prevent dough from bubbly up during baking.)
• Spread pumpkin puree evenly over dough, leaving about 1/2 inch at border. Scatter caramelized onion and garlic mixture evenly over pumpkin; top evenly with gouda cheese.

  Place dough (on paper) on preheated stone or baking sheet; bake for ~12 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is crisp and cheese is melted. If desired, garnish with fresh chopped parsley before serving.

  Slice into 8 pieces.

Notes

To Store: You want to store pizza as airtight as possible to preserve its freshness. Place slices in a gallon-size resealable zip-top bag, or use plastic wrap followed by foil. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

To Reheat: My go-t0 method for reheating pizza is in the skillet! Here is how it's done:

1. Add 1 or 2 slices of pizza to a skillet (cast iron works best) over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and slowly let the pizza re-crisp while it warms through.
2. It also helps to add a few drops of water to the pan, away from the pizza, and re-cover so that the cheese is steam-melted.

Nutrition

Serving: 2slices | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 880mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g

I calculate these values by hand to ensure accuracy, however expect up to a 10% variable depending on food brands.

If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and review below!