So many of my flatbread recipes start out as a creative attempt to reinvent really good leftovers from a meal I made at home, or a night out. That’s satisfying, because I love to be thrifty and creative at the same time. And making a flatbread recipe using leftovers stretches a portion for one into something shareable, so you don’t have to fight with your better half over that piece of steak or chicken. I guess you could say that many of my most successful recipes were created to ensure domestic harmony. Making a pizza for two people to share is way better at that, wouldn’t you agree?

This flatbread recipe came to me when I was making a quick cherry tomato based sauce for pasta. I had a little leftover sauce, so I added it along with some shrimp onto a baked flatbread, and the rest is saucy history.

Food smarties keep a bag of sustainably farmed or wild shrimp in the freezer to grab when dinner is needed. They thaw out quickly, are basically fat-free, and they’re a delicious and versatile source of protein. The fresh basil or mint is an important last minute touch, so don’t skimp. Just rip it up and throw it everywhere.

Here’s to leftovers, as well as partners willing to share them!

-Amy at Flatout

Holy lamb! My love affair with lamb continues with this flatbread, which uses those spicy, spiced fatty little lamb sausages called merguez that you can find in specialty and gourmet shops. They pack a big flavor, so you only need a few for this exceptional flatbread. The leeks and scallions offset the richness of the sausage with a one-two onion punch, and the creamy goat cheese pulls it all together.

Save your leek greens after you make this recipe, though. They’re great sautéed in a stir-fry, cooked until almost charred, with some chile sauce and rice. A beautiful vegetable like the leek shouldn’t be wasted.

This is the kind of flatbread pizza that goes great with a dry red wine. Try a tempranillo, a Chianti, or a Côtes-du-Rhône. Or all three! Make up a batch of these flatbreads for friends and make it a pre-Thanksgiving, friendsgiving event. Your pals will go nuts for the merguez, and you will be the hit of the weekend.

-Amy at Flatout

Fall is here and that means it’s time for squash in all its forms. Don’t grimace: if you don’t adore squash like me, I’m begging you to give it a fresh look. Farmer’s markets in my area sell their squash for about 50 cents a piece when the harvest is good, so I stock up and store them in a bin in the basement to make them last through the winter.

Butternut squash is one of my favorites, because of its smooth silky texture and sweet, mild flavor. It can be a bit tricky to cut up, though, and when my knives aren’t really sharp, sometimes I will “cheat” and buy a bag or cubed raw squash at the store. Then all I do is simply toss the cubes in some olive oil, salt, and pepper, spread them out on a baking sheet, and roast them in a 425°F oven, turning them occasionally, until they’re toasty on the edges and you can stick a knife tip easily through the middle of one of the cubes.

Roasted squash is so good for you, because it’s packed with beta carotene and fiber. Almost all little kids love it, too, especially babies. Roast it long enough, and it tastes like candy. But this is the sort of candy we’re putting on flatbread!

In this flatbread recipe, a little sausage goes a long way. Even though he eats anything I make, my better half kind of turns his nose up at anything purely vegetarian; somehow he feels like he is missing out when he skips meat. (Maybe you have one or two people in your household who are the same way…) This recipe can definitely be made without the sausage, but throwing our loved ones a (meaty) bone now and again isn’t such a bad thing.

Butternut squash and sage is a classic Italian pairing, and here it gets a boost from the spicy sausage and a bit of acidity from the tomato sauce. I hope you love it!

Amy at Flatout