Truffles make everything better. I don’t mean chocolate ones, but those make everything better in life too, but here I mean black truffles. The funky, underground weird fungus thing that has an earthy flavor profile you won’t find anywhere else.

I was hoping that my local Whole Foods had whole black truffles in stock, but apparently it’s not truffle season. The truffle-sniffing pups in France aren’t hunting for underground fungi at the moment. Really.

So truffle oil it shall be. I was being cheap, so instead of oil infused with only black or white truffle essence, I opted for the Porcini mushroom and black truffle oil. It’s slightly earthier, but you still get that WHAM of black truffle flavor kicking you in the buds.

I also found some reasonably priced gluten free flat bread crusts. I’m trying to keep my refined carbs on the down-low right now since it’s time to be seen in a bikini this season and I prefer not risking people filing battery charges against me from hurting their eyes so badly with my waistline. I feel less “puffy.” Less like a white pirate shirt a famous 90’s comedian wore on live television once, all because of smiling and nodding at a “low talker.” Don’t smile and nod when low talkers speak. I repeat, don’t smile and nod. You might get stuck wearing  puffy shirt.

This vegan ricotta cheese I found is literally out of this world. It’s by a company called Kite Hill that makes vegan nut cheese basically by using the same process dairy cheeses are made. The company runs nut milks through the same “cheesing” process as dairy milk. I’ve had two of their other varieties and this one is by far my favorite. Since I, you know, ate it by the finger-full straight out of the container as I was cooking.

Ingredients:
About 2 cups of butternut squash, cubed
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
1/2 cup original marinara sauce
Fresh baby greens of your choice for garnish
1/2 to 2/3 container of Kite Hill vegan ricotta cheese (roughly a cup)
1 tsp herbes de provence, divided
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried garlic
2 gluten free flatbread crusts (8″ diameter) or flatbread of your choice
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Porcini Mushroom and Black Truffle Oil for garnish

Make:
Preheat oven to 435°.

First off, If you have a cast iron skillet, use it. Nothing caramelizes an onion like a cast iron skillet.  Begin by peeling your onion slicing it and leaving it in long strips. Set aside and work on that squash. If you bought a larger squash, cut off what you need and peel it with the carrot peeler. Cut into cubes.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in your cast iron skillet. This is for the onions. Turn onto medium high heat and sautee until they start to look opaque. Add 1/2 tsp herbs de provence along with the paprika and garlic powder. Once onions are starting to get wilted, reduce the heat to medium/medium low. This allows them to cook down slowly without burning.

While the onions are cooking, heat the other 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a medium skillet. Once oil is heated, add butternut squash cubes and other 1/2 tsp of herbs de provence. Stir to incorporate. Add vegetable broth and bring to a slight simmer. This helps soften the squash faster. Cook until squash is fully soften through and through. Once the squash is softened, lightly mash it with a potato masher or fork. Don’t completely turn it into mush; just make the cubes “mushier” so they pop onto the flatbread easier and are less likely to topple off. It gives the other ingredients something to grab onto.

On a pizza stone or cookie sheet, place your flatbreads and divide the marinara sauce evenly between them and spread to coat. Evenly distribute half the mushrooms and smushed squash cubes over each flatbread, followed by the vegan ricotta.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is crisp.

Remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes. Garnish with a generous drizzle of black truffle oil and top with fresh baby greens as pictured.