This recipe was something I came up with to satisfy a pizza craving, but in a much heathier way! We are in the thick of all the fall squashes and one of my favorites is spaghetti squash. So, I thought, why not do a spaghetti squash pizza tart! What! That’s right, using that beautiful squash as the base of the tart dough to hold delicious pizza fillings with a creamy dairy free béchamel sauce! That’s right, you heard me, this is a gluten and dairy free masterpiece!
I honestly had no clue how this would turn out. I didn’t know if the squash would hold up to the fillings or if it would even hold it’s shape. Well it did and it surpassed my expectations. I love pizza on the weekends, always have, it was something we as a family used to do every weekend as kids. It’s homey, cozy, warm and oh so delicious!
Well, I wanted that same feeling and taste, but not as heavy and to keep it gluten and dairy free. It really is similar to a deep-dish pizza, only better! I am not a huge fan of deep-dish, but I am a huge fan of this pizza tart! It’s also very customizable to whatever pizza toppings you like. One of my favorites is sausage (turkey), mushroom, onion and green pepper in a zesty marinara sauce. But you can go hog wild on your fillings, but this combo is definitely a winner.
This is for sure a weekend dinner, just because there are a few components to it. You can make the sauce ahead of time (or store bought…earmuffs) and I roasted the squash the night before too. So those two do ahead, really cuts down on prep time. But great for Saturday night in or Sunday Supper.
The par-baked crust. Just starting to turn a golden brown, but set up.
My favorite combo of fillings! Sausage, mushroom, onion and green pepper oh my!
The creamy dreamy béchamel sauce. Made with coconut milk/ghee and gluten free flour.
Fresh out of the oven all bubbly and caramalized and golden brown deliciousness.
Honestly, spaghetti squash crust perfection. It’s not crunchy, but softer with just the right amount of chew without be too gummy.
All sliced up and ready to go! Straight into your mouth that is.
Let’s squash the weekend with this Spaghetti Squash Pizza Tart and embrace the craving the healthful way! This way you can indulge in that second glass of wine and a slice of my Cast-iron Pear Rosemary Upside-down Cake! Triple win!
Happy Weekending and Squashing It!
Diane
- For the Crust:
- 1 small spaghetti squash roasted and squash scraped out
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¾ cup arrowroot starch
- ½ cup to ¾ cup fine almond flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
- 1 egg
- ½ cup vegan parm (I use Follow Your Heart)
- For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. of salt plus more to taste
- A few grinds of black pepper
- I box 17.6 oz of pomi tomato sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 tbsp of honey (can sub molasses or date nectar)
- For the Filling:
- 1 Turkey Hot Italian Sausage link, casing removed
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- Vegan mozzarella thinly sliced (I use Miyokos Mozz)
- Half a yellow onion diced
- 8oz package of sliced baby bella mushrooms or button
- For the Béchamel:
- 1 can lite coconut milk
- 2 egg yolks room temp
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut yogurt
- 2 tbsp. ghee (can use butter or vegan butter)
- 2 ½ tbsp. gluten free flour (I use Pamela's)
- 1 tsp. salt
- ⅛ tsp. nutmeg
- Dried parsley for garnish
- Sea Salt for garnish
- Red pepper flakes for garnish
- For the crust:
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with tinfoil and set aside. Carefully slice the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Spray the inside of the squash with olive oil spray and sprinkle with sea salt. Place the cut squash halves, cut side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. It’s done when it’s fork tender. Allow to cool some so you can handle and scrape out the squash out using a fork. This can be done a day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Spray a deep-dish 9 or 10 inch tart pan with not stick spray and set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with tinfoil and set aside.
- Squeeze out excess moisture in the spaghetti squash between some paper towels. Place squash in large bowl and add all your ingredients and mix to combine. It will be wet, but if it’s too wet add another ¼ cup of almond flour.
- Spray your hands and press the mixture into the prepared tart pan evenly and up the sides. You may have some left over, you don’t want it too thick. Like I said it is wet, not like a traditional tart dough. Make as even as possible using the bottom of cup or measuring cup sprayed with not stick spray and evenly press down around the bottom and next to the side of the pan. Pop in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
- Par-bake the tart shell in the preheated oven on the baking sheet for 25 to 30 minutes. After the 20-minute mark, press down the shell with sprayed bottom of the measuring cup to ensure even bottom and sides. Continue to cook another 5 to 10 minutes until the crust is set and just beginning to turn golden. Remove from oven onto a cooling rack. You can start the sauce while the crust is baking.
- For the Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the Italian spices and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook another 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for another two minutes. Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Add salt and a few grinds of black pepper and mix to combine. Add the honey and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and partially cover. Allow to simmer for a half hour stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- For the Filling:
- While the sauce is cooking, make the sausage. In a large skillet spray with olive oil spray over medium heat. Remove the casing from the sausage and tear into pieces. Allow to cook through until no pink remains. Remove from pan onto paper towel lined plate. Spray more olive oil in pan and add the mushrooms. Allow to cook until tender about 5 minutes. Then add salt and add the onions and peppers. Cook for another 5 minutes. Don’t cook down too much, you want some bite left in the veggies. Remove from pan and add to plate with the sausage.
- Assemble the Tart:
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees if not already there.
- Add a few large spoonsful of sauce into the par-baked crust and spread evenly over the bottom. Place the vegan mozzarella on top of the sauce. Doesn’t have to cover the entire bottom, I just evenly place around bottom with sauce still showing through. You can add based on your taste. Next place the sausage/mushroom/onion and pepper mixture over the sauce and cheese. Set aside while you make the béchamel.
- For the Béchamel:
- In a medium bowl add the egg yolks and set aside.
- In a small sauce bring the coconut milk to simmer. While the milk is heating up, melt the ghee in a medium saucepan, then whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the heated milk and continue whisking for 3 to 5 minutes. It will thicken quick, add the nutmeg. Pour about ¼ of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk continuously to temper the eggs. Mix until smooth and paler in color about 2 minutes. Pour back into the milk mixture while whisking and mix until smooth. Stir in the coconut yogurt until combined. Pour through a fine mesh strainer directly into the tart to cover the fillings. Sprinkle top with sea salt, red pepper flakes, dried parsley. Place back on tinfoil lined baking sheet and bake for 45 to 60 minutes rotating halfway through until the top is bubbly and light golden brown. Remove from oven and place tart on cooling rack and allow to cool at room temp for 20 minutes to let the filling set. Slice, serve and enjoy!
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to a day.
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