Butternut Squash Flat Bread with Cheddar and Pine Nuts

Here is one of those quick and easy meals that also just happens to be vegetarian from Real Simple magazine. Sure, you could make your own pizza dough, peel a butternut squash and grate a block of cheddar cheese, but the beauty is that you don’t have to as you can usually either buy it pre-made at the store (dough) or pre-cut [butternut squash] or shredded (cheddar cheese). It is entirely up to you, but these shortcuts available to busy home cooks are certainly a “good thing” as Martha likes to say.

The unusual combination of ingredients creates a flat bread off the beaten track that pairs perfectly with a simple arugula salad. And note that the salad is dressed with only a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper—no vinegar-- which makes it completely wine friendly.

When you look at the rest of the dish, it is all actually wine friendly and lends itself to either an easy drinking red or white, depending on your mood. If red is on your mind, try a medium-bodied Merlot that will cozy up comfortably to the extra-sharp cheddar in the dish and meld with the soft texture of the pine nuts. Prefer a white? Crack open a bottle of Chardonnay—and a little toasty would be just fine here—to square off against the sweet squash and onion on the flat bread while pairing beautifully with the cheddar. For the full recipe, please visit www.realsimple.com .

–Felicia M. Sherbert