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Pizza Gets a Seasonal Punch of Flavor With This Pumpkin Marinara Recipe

Fall flavors meet thin crust pizza in this colorful, crispy flatbread.
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Continuing our lineup of all the foods you can dress up with pumpkin flavors for fall, this recipe turns canned pumpkin into a delicious marinara sauce. It's perfect for slathering on some thin, pizza-like flatbreads, and topping with burst cherry tomatoes and arugula for a truly outstanding cold-weather snack. These pumpkin arugula flatbreads are addictive and light—just watch them disappear when served at a family gathering or as an after-school snack on a rainy day.

And remember, we're huge fans of pumpkin not only because it's such a get-you-in-the-fall-mood seasonal staple, but also because it's a serious superfood that packs a nutritional punch of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and fiber. Essentially, all the things you need for a strong immune system during the flu season and all the temperature changes.

Our pro tip for this recipe? Make sure you get high quality thin pizza crusts for a truly outstanding final product.

Nutrition: 328 calories, 12 g fat (3 g saturated), 545 mg sodium, 11 g sugar, 8 g fiber, 13 g protein

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
¾ cup canned pumpkin
¼ cup water
1 tsp Italian seasoning, crushed
¼ tsp salt
4 cups grape tomatoes, halved
4 shallots, thinly sliced
4 individual artisan thin pizza crusts
4 cups fresh arugula or arugula-baby spinach blend
1 to 2 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

How to Make It

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. For marinara sauce, in a small saucepan heat 2 tsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add tomato paste; cook and stir 30 seconds. Stir in pumpkin, water, Italian seasoning, and salt. Cook 5 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.

2. In a medium nonstick skillet, cook tomatoes and shallots in the remaining 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high 8 to 10 minutes or until tomatoes burst, stirring frequently.

3. Bake pizza crusts directly on oven rack 2 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a large baking sheet. Spread pumpkin sauce evenly over crusts. Top with tomatoes and shallots. Bake 4 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a bowl toss arugula with vinaigrette to coat. Pile arugula on flatbreads and sprinkle with blue cheese.

RELATED: The easy way to make healthier comfort foods

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