Pumpkin Pizza with Gruyere and Crispy Sage

A bit posh upon first impression

Though it may present itself as a bit posh upon first impression, this Pumpkin Pizza with Gruyere and Crispy Sage is deceptively simple to create. A mixture of nutty Gruyere and creamy mozzarella top a rich base of pumpkin puree spiced with nutmeg, red pepper, and garlic. After a spell in the oven, where the crust browns and the sauce melts into a web of perfectly blistered cheese, this pie gets topped with crispy fried sage leaves. This pizza is a favorite now that we're in the thick of the autumn/fall squash season.

Let's talk about the cheese for a moment

I prefer to use a mix of Gruyere cheese and mozzarella cheese for this pumpkin pizza. Gruyere is a firm Swiss cheese made from cow's milk that has a rich and slightly nutty flavor and melts beautifully. When paired with creamy and soft mozzarella, which has a higher moisture content and offers the classically coveted cheese-pull-ability, this pizza offers a really nice balance of rich flavor and soft, melty texture. However, if you prefer to use one or the other, this pizza works beautifully with a double portion of Gruyere or mozzarella cheese on their own.

What about the pizza crust?

I prefer to use this Easy Same-Day Pizza Dough recipe to make this Pumpkin Pizza with Gruyere and Crispy Sage, but if you have a preferred pizza crust recipe of your own or want to grab some pre-made dough from the store, feel free to use those as well.

How to make crispy fried sage leaves

1. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, heat a few tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil. The skillet only needs a thin, even coating to cook the sage leaves evenly. As they are so thin and cook so quickly, the goal is not to drown them in oil as you might when deep-frying.
2. Once the oil is hot, add sage leaves to the pan in small batches spaced apart from each other. The sage leaves will cook very quickly around 15-30 seconds per leaf is generally perfect to crisp them fully, while still retaining their lovely green color.
3. Remove crisped sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate reserved to the side as you work in batches and sprinkle with salt while hot.

WHAT TEMPERATURE IS BEST TO BAKE PIZZA AT?

Your aim is a perfectly golden crust and nicely caramelized toppings, so the hotter the better. Many professional pizzerias keep their ovens heated to 800 degrees F or higher, but most home ovens only reach temperatures between 500-550 degrees F so this recipe is created with those constraints in mind. I bake my pizzas at 500 degrees F / 260 degrees C and get wonderful results. If your oven tops out at 450 degrees F / 232 degrees C, I have tested that temp many times over as well and it works well, though you’ll want to plan on a few extra minutes in the oven, especially if your pie is piled high with toppings.

REHEATING PIZZA LEFTOVERS

It would be cliche if I made a joke about leftovers and pizza right now, so we’ll just skip that and assume you didn’t eat the entire pie for a moment. My two favorite methods for reheating pizza so it retains it’s crisp crust while remelting the cheese, is in the oven or in a cast-iron pan on top of the stove.

Oven method: Bake on a sheet pan at 350 F / 175 C for 10 minutes or until pizza has reached your desired level of warmth and crispness.

Stovetop method: Set pizza in a cast-iron pan over medium-low heat. Allow to cook until the crust has reached your desired level of crispness. If the cheese isn’t melted enough for your taste you can add a few drops of water to the pan (away from the pizza) and cover the pan for a minute or two to allow the steam to melt the cheese further.

WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

• A baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• A small skillet
• A small saucepan
• A wooden spoon or spatula
• A plate lined with a paper towel
• A kitchen scale or measuring cups (for less precise measurements)
• Measuring spoons
• A rolling pin (only if you prefer an evenly thick pie) otherwise your hands are your best tool

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Pumpkin Pizza with Gruyere and Crispy Sage

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

• Author: Whip & Wander
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 1 large pizza 1x
• Category: Pizza, Mains
• Method: Oven / Stovetop
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

This Pumpkin Pizza with Gruyere and Crispy Sage is deceptively simple to create and a favorite now that we're in the thick of the autumn/fall squash season.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the pumpkin sauce base:

• 244 g (about 1 cup) pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil (may sub for 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + 2 minced garlic cloves)
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp cracked black pepper

For the crispy sage leaves:

• 10-12 large fresh sage leaves
• 3-4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• ¼ tsp Kosher salt

For the pizza:

• ½ recipe Easy Same Day Pizza Dough
• 2 oz (about ½ cup) Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 2 oz (about ½ cup) mozzarella cheese, shredded

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F / 260 degrees C and set a baker's half sheet to the side.

For the pumpkin sauce base:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the pumpkin puree, garlic oil (or olive oil + minced garlic), red pepper flakes, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir often until the mixture becomes hot and begins to bubble slightly. Carefully taste for salt and adjust if necessary. Reserve to the side.

For the crispy sage leaves:

1. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, heat a few tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil. The skillet only needs a thin, even coating to cook the sage leaves evenly. As they are so thin and cook so quickly, the goal is not to drown them in oil as you might when deep-frying.
2. Once the oil is hot, add sage leaves to the pan in small batches spaced apart from each other. The sage leaves will cook very quickly around 15-30 seconds per leaf is generally perfect to crisp them fully, while still retaining their lovely green color.
3. Remove crisped sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate reserved to the side as you work in batches and sprinkle with salt while hot.

Assembling the pizza:

1. Shape your dough. If you prefer a classic pie-shape with a thicker crust compared to the center of your dough, I suggest hand-stretching your dough. If you prefer your pizza to be an even thickness, I suggest rolling your dough out with a rolling pin.
   • If you are hand-stretching your pizza dough:
     1. I like to rub a small amount of olive oil into my hands first; this allows me to shape the dough easier without it ripping accidentally from friction.
     2. Press the dough down with the palm of your hand into a disk shape, then use your fingertips to gently press down on the dough disk, further flattening it.
     3. To further extend the dough, I prefer to press one palm on top of one side of the dough and with the other hand lift the alternative side of the dough and gently work the dough outward, pulling very gently with the tips of my oiled fingers (like a very discrete “come hither” motion) to slowly stretch the dough out. Rotate slightly and repeat until the dough is shaped and stretched to your liking. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again. Transfer your stretched dough to a sheet of parchment paper.
   • If you are using a rolling pin:
     1. I prefer to place my dough between two sheets of parchment paper to avoid the dough sticking to my rolling pin, but if you prefer you can also sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough ball as well as wiping some over your rolling pin by hand to prevent sticking instead. Once the dough has been rolled to your preferred size and shape, peel the top layer of parchment paper off (if using). The bottom layer that the dough is resting on can be utilized for your baking sheet. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again.
2. Transfer your shaped dough to the reserved baking sheet.
3. Top with reserved pumpkin sauce, using the back of a spoon spread the sauce out evenly over the dough.
4. Top the pizza with mozzarella and Gruyere cheese.
5. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the crust has reached your preferred level of crispness and the cheese is fully melted. I find that pizzas that have a thinner topping layer take less time to bake and heavier-topped pizzas generally take a bit longer to bake so watch your pizza closely after the 14-minute mark and adjust as desired.
6. Once the pizza is baked, top with reserved crispy sage, slice, and serve warm.

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Notes

Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: ¼th of the pizza
• Calories: 517
• Sugar: 5 g
• Sodium: 601 mg
• Fat: 28 g
• Saturated Fat: 7 g
• Carbohydrates: 52 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 17 g
• Cholesterol: 26 mg

Keywords: Pumpkin pizza, gruyere, crispy sage