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

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.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

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