Ricotta Flatbread with Bacon, Squash, Apples and Maple Pepitas
Posted: 10/03/2016
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You’ll love the fall flavors of this ricotta flatbread: warmly spiced ricotta, crisp bacon, roasted squash and mushrooms, diced apple, and maple candied pepitas. You’ll want to eat this all year!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This flatbread is so interesting: colorful, textural, and delicious!
How long it takes: less than a half hour
Equipment you’ll need: baking sheet
Servings: 3
This post is in partnership with Flatout. Thanks for supporting Rachel Cooks by reading about brands I love and use in my home!
Any other fall lovers out there? Our new house has a bigger porch than our old house did and I went a little fall-crazy, decorating with bales of hay, pumpkins of every color, and mums. I wanted a couple corn stalks, too, but I had to choose between them and the kids due to space in my car.
I chose the kids this time.
But I didn’t hold back with the fall toppings on this flatbread pizza.
Squash! Bacon! Apples! Mushrooms! Pepitas! Oh ,and not just plain ol’ pepitas, these are candied. With maple! Because, fall. Fall, fall, fall, FALL!
I even spiced up the ricotta with sage, nutmeg and a touch of cayenne.
Oh my gosh, every time I look at that picture I want to run my fall-loving self back to the kitchen and make this ricotta flatbread recipe again right away.
About This Ricotta Flatbread
- The flatbread is a very easy crust. This recipe really comes together quickly and easily, thanks to Flatout Artisan Thin Pizza Crusts. The crusts get delightfully crispy in 6 minutes and you don’t have to worry about filling up on heavy crust. Of course, you may choose whatever base you prefer. Any pre-baked crust will work, as well as pita bread rounds.
- Flatbread pizza is perfect for a quick dinner or lunch. If you prep all the toppings in advance, you could have dinner ready in less than 10 minutes. Doesn’t get much better than that, does it? Even if you don’t have the toppings prepped, you can have this ricotta flatbread ready in less than a half hour.
- The toppings are healthy. Butternut squash, mushrooms, apples, and pumpkin seeds are all nutrient-packed foods. The ricotta is lowfat and high in protein. You really can pile this flatbread up with all the fall toppings your heart desires.
Make It Your Own
It’s easy to mix and match the toppings. If you don’t care for something, leave it out or substitute something you like better. Here are a few suggestions:
- Sub in a different type of cheese. Not a fan of ricotta? A spreadable cream cheese or boursin is a really good substitute. (If you choose a flavored cheese, you probably won’t want to add the spices). Shredded mozzarella cheese is good, too.
- Choose different vegetables. Pretty much any roasted vegetable would work on the flatbreads. Tender greens could be added, too.
- Make it vegetarian. You can easily skip the bacon and no one would probably miss it!
- Try a different fruit. Apples fit into the fall theme but thinly sliced pears, peaches, mangos, or figs are great, too.
- Drizzle on a dressing. Balsamic reduction, pomegranate molasses, or hot honey come to mind but feel free to experiment!
Make Ahead & Storage Tips
You can easily prep the toppings for this ricotta flatbread ahead of time.
- Butternut Squash: Raw squash, peeled and cubed, will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Cut up a whole butternut squash when you have a minute or two; it will be ready to use for a variety of recipes. Try my butternut squash curry, Moroccan stew with butternut squash and chickpeas, or farro salad with butternut squash.
- Roasted Vegetables: Roasted vegetables will also keep in the fridge for up to a week. You can roast the squash and mushrooms for this recipe. Roast the rest of the squash to serve as a side dish, in salads, or meal bowls.
- Ricotta Cheese: The ricotta cheese can be prepped up to a week ahead, as well. You can have a ricotta flatbread every day if you like. The cheese spread is also good on toast or crackers.
- Bacon: I always cook up the whole package of bacon at once. Baked bacon is the way to go: it’s so easy, turns out perfectly every time, and with no messy stove. You can store bacon in the the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
- Pepitas: The candied pepitas can be made a day or two ahead. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. I wouldn’t make them too much in advance. They make for good snacking and they just might disappear before you have a chance to use them for your ricotta flatbread!
Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this flatbread recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #35. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week!
We’ll be adding a new meal plan weekly. If you’re interested, browse all of our meal plans.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
You'll love the fall flavors of this ricotta flatbread: warmly spiced ricotta, crisp bacon, roasted squash and mushrooms, diced apple, and maple candied pepitas. You'll want to eat this all year!
Ingredients
For Vegetables:
- 2 ½ cups peeled and diced butternut squash
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, washed and sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, or to taste
For Ricotta:
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (or freshly grated)
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, more to taste
Pepitas:
- ¼ cup pepitas (raw shelled pumpkin seeds)
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
Other Ingredients:
- 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- ½ cup finely diced apples
- 4 flatbreads (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- On a rimmed sheet pan, toss squash and mushrooms with oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, stir, and roast for 2 to 5 more minutes, or until squash is fork tender and mushrooms are golden brown.
- Meanwhile, prepare ricotta cheese. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, pepper, sage, nutmeg, and cayenne. Stir to combine.
- Prepare pepitas. In a small frying pan, heat butter and pepitas over medium heat until pepitas begin to turn golden brown. Add maple syrup (will bubble!) and cook for one more minute. Pour onto a parchment paper-lined plate and set aside to harden (you can speed this up by placing in fridge).
- When vegetables are done roasting, remove from oven and decrease oven temperature to 375°F. Place three Flatout Flatbread Pizza crusts on a baking sheet and bake for 2 minutes.
- Remove and carefully spread ricotta mixture onto each pizza. Top with butternut squash and mushrooms (you may not need them all) and bacon. Bake for 4 more minutes or until ricotta is heated.
- Top with apples and pepitas and slice. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I like Flatout Artisan Thin pizza crusts. Any type of flatbread, pita rounds, or prebaked pizza crust will work. If you prefer, make your own pizza crust or flatbreads.
- Make Ahead: Refer to the post for lots of make ahead ideas.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1flatbread, Calories: 361kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 542mg, Potassium: 812mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 9612IU, Vitamin C: 19mg, Calcium: 237mg, Iron: 3mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
