Ree Drummond's Easy Pizza Recipe Includes Over 6 Cups of Veggies and Fans Say It Has "Really Great Flavor"

It's not delivery or DiGiorno...it's Ree Drummond's perfect-for-fall squash pizza!

ICYMI, Ree Drummond (AKA The Pioneer Woman) is off her keto diet trial and back to a more 80/20 lifestyle because "I'm not about denying myself," she recently told the hosts of the TODAY Show. And one recipe she shared on a recent episode of her own Food Network show is delicious proof.

We discovered Drummond's how-to for this Butternut Crust Pizza on the Home Sweet Home: Pizza the Action episode of The Pioneer Woman that aired this weekend. Alongside her recipes for Pizza Dough Salad Bowl (filing this one under must-try soon, too!), Pizza Pigs in a Blanket and Brownie Pizza, Drummond kicked things off with one veggie-packed pie that really caught our eye.

"You've heard of cauliflower crust, I'm sure. But this has butternut squash, a tiny bit of flour, so it's not totally flour-free. But the good news is the color of this crust is divine. It's gorgeous. It has all of the goodness of butternut squash and the vitamins that come with it," she says, as she begins preparing the crust.

She starts with roasted cubes of butternut squash, which she's mashing in a large bowl with a potato masher (buy it: $14.99, Target), and a bit of flour. "This isn't about being a gluten-free crust or anything like that," Drummond says, echoing our feelings about all things in moderation unless you have a food allergy or intolerance. (Psst...this elimination diet meal plan can help you determine if you might have any of those.) "It's more about the color and goodness of the butternut squash."

Next comes a cup of shredded Parmesan, baking powder (to help it rise), Italian seasoning and egg ("to bind it all together," according to Drummond), then she transfers it to a parchment-lined sheet pan and uses a spatula and her clean hands to press the squash mixture into a 12-inch circle. Bake until lightly browned, or for about 30 minutes.

While the crust cooks, blitz up the homemade pesto. Instead of the jarred basil pesto she'd usually employ, "I'm going to make an arugula and basil so it will have sort of a fresh, peppery flavor about it," Drummond says as she adds handfuls of both of those greens, plus a scoop of store-bought roasted slivered almonds—instead of more traditional pine nuts—to the bowl of her food processor (buy it: $42.25, Walmart). Then it's time for more grated Parmesan, juice from a lemon, salt and pepper, then she pops on the lid. As Drummond pulses and purees the pesto, she drizzles in enough olive oil to make a sauce.

Remove the crust from the oven, "And I'm going to basically use the pesto as the sauce for the pizza," Drummond says as she spreads on a generous layer of the arugula blend, leaving about ½-inch border around the edge. Add this while the crust is still warm so the pesto almost melts in a little bit, she suggests. Layer on ribbons of thinly-sliced prosciutto, more arugula and finish with fresh-shaved Parmesan.

Last up, drizzle with "one of the best store-bought ingredients," Drummond says: balsamic glaze (buy: $39.90 for two 375 milliliter bottles, Williams Sonoma).

On a scale of one to 10, Drummond ranks it a 9.5. "This is a winner. I love this!" And fans do too, raving, "It was yummy and a great way to get hubby to eat his veggies!" and it has "really great flavor and [is] easy to make. I plan on making this again."

Counting the two cups of mashed squash, four cups of baby arugula (two cups in the pesto and two cups as toppings) and a cup of fresh basil, this fall-flavored pie pack in a whopping seven cups of fresh vegetables and herbs per 8-slice pizza.

Get Drummond's Butternut Crust Pizza recipe here, and for more produce-packed pies, check out our 22 best 30-minute-or-less healthy pizza recipes.