Pizza proves there’s no shame in shortcuts

Pizza is one of my favorite ways to get my fill of vegetables.

I love making my own dough when I have time — and freezing it for times when I don’t — but on any given weeknight, if my freezer is bare, I buy a pre-baked crust.

The benefits extend beyond time savings. When I make a no-knead dough from scratch and cook it under the broiler, I am restrained with the toppings to keep from overwhelming the crust and turning it soggy. Prebaked crusts, on the other hand, are sturdy enough to hold a mountain of produce, making for a hearty vegetarian dinner.

What to put on it?

This time of year, I use a base of caramelized onions instead of tomato sauce. They’re great to have on hand in late winter. They’re best made slowly, so the onions have time to release their sugars and get all jammy, a process that takes up to an hour or more.

Or you can quickly sauté them until tender, then drizzle with honey.

On a weeknight, with fridge and pantry as bare as the freezer, everybody needs a shortcut.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Servings: 4

The onions take about an hour to caramelize. They can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. The squash can be roasted up to 1 week in advance; refrigerate until ready to use.

2 large yellow onions (1 3/4 pounds total), thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 small butter-nut squash (1 pound), stemmed, peeled and halved lengthwise

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 prebaked whole-wheat pizza crust, such as Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value or Boboli

2 ounces Gorgonzola dolce or other blue cheese, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup raw unsalted walnut halves, broken into large pieces

1/2 cup lightly packed baby arugula leaves

2 teaspoons pumpkinseed oil (may substitute walnut oil or olive oil)

Set a baking stone, if using, on a rack in the oven; preheat to 450 F. (The pizza can be placed directly on the oven rack.) Have a large rimmed baking sheet at hand.

Heat a large cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, tossing with tongs or a spatula, until they wilt and start to brown. Sprinkle with half the salt, toss and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring very occasionally, until the onions are deeply golden brown, very soft and sweet, up to an hour or more. Let cool.

Scoop out and discard the seeds from the squash, then cut the flesh into 1/4 -inch slices. Lay on the baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the remaining salt and toss to coat. Roast the squash until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool. If you are making the pizza right away, reduce the oven temperature to 400 F.

Spread the caramelized onions evenly over the crust. Arrange the butternut squash slices on top. Dot with the blue cheese and walnuts.

Slide the pizza onto the baking stone (or place on the oven rack). Bake until the pizza’s edges are browned, the bottom is crisp and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Top with arugula, then drizzle the pizza with the oil. Cut the pizza into 8 slices; serve warm.

Per serving: 480 calories, 13 g protein, 62 g carbohydrates, 23 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 550 mg sodium, 9 g dietary fiber, 11 g sugar