You will not believe just how flavorful squash blossoms are until you have tried them on this squash blossom focaccia. Don’t misunderstand me, the recipe I shared a few weeks ago for fried squash blossoms stuffed with cheese are amazing, but there is a lot going on with seasonings, cheese, and hot oil. This squash blossom focaccia allows the blossoms to sing!
I have been holding on to this recipe for eons! Unless you have your own garden, squash blossoms are not that easy to get your hands on and when you finally have them you have to use them within a couple of days or they will be wasted. I was holding on to this recipe for the right time. Although it took everything in me not to stuff the fresh blossoms I bought at the farmers’ market with cheese and fry them, I resisted the urge and pulled out this recipe from my “To Try” Recipe Binder.
For this recipe, I made homemade focaccia bread using a recipe I shared a long time ago, but omitted the herbs and spices. The focaccia bread turned out well, but of course, it took a longer to make the squash blossom focaccia. If you don’t have the time to make fresh focaccia bread, simply buy store-bought pizza dough and it will do just fine.
I just so happened to have some leftover homemade ricotta cheese in the fridge that was nearing expiration and I was really happy to finish it off. I know I have said this a hundred times before, but once you make homemade ricotta cheese yourself, you will NEVER buy that store-bought stuff again! Homemade has more flavor and it is creamier than the stuff that has been sitting on the store shelf for who knows how long.
Let me tell you about how this squash blossom focaccia comes together:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Grease a 9 x 13 baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place the dough onto the pan. Press the dough with your fingers until it stretches to the four corners of the pan. Press fingers into the dough to create dimples.
If the dough is too cold it will spring back. If this occurs, let the dough rest for about 10 minutes and try it again. It should now stay in place.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, then place the pan onto a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, use your fingers to carefully separate the flower petals, without breaking them and remove the pistil in the center. Rinse the flowers under cold water, paying attention not to damage petals. Lay them spaced out on a paper towel and gently pat dry. ~ Learn more about this HERE.
After 5 minutes, spread the ricotta across the focaccia bread.
It is a matter of personal preference, but I think the back of a spoon does this job beautifully.
Grate or sprinkle half of the parmesan cheese over top of the ricotta covered bread and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the squash blossoms over the cheese-covered bread.
When placing the squash blossoms onto the focaccia, keep in mind how you plan on slicing the bread and ensure each slice will have a least one of the squash blossoms on the slice.
Grate or sprinkle with remaining parmesan over the squash blossoms.
Bake until bread is golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Serve drizzled with remaining oil and balsamic vinegar, if desired.
This squash blossom focaccia is so delicious! The delicate squash blossoms are bursting with flavor with creamy ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese baked until golden brown in the oven. This focaccia is a great summer appetizer or side dish to go with any meal.
I hope you enjoy this focaccia as much as we did!
Have you ever eaten squash blossoms before? I’d love to hear from you. Comment below!
Squash Blossom Foccacia
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 pound dough store-bought pizza dough or homemade focaccia dough
- ½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 8 squash blossoms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Grease a 9 x 13 baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place the dough onto the pan. Press the dough with your fingers until it stretches to the four corners of the pan. Press fingers into the dough to create dimples.If the dough is too cold it will spring back. If this occurs, let the dough rest for about 10 minutes and try it again. It should now stay in place.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes.
Place the pan onto a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. - Meanwhile, use your fingers to carefully separate the flower petals, without breaking them and remove the pistil in the center. Rinse the flowers under cold water, paying attention not to damage petals. Lay them spaced out on a paper towel and gently pat dry.
- Spread the ricotta across the focaccia bread. Grate or sprinkle half of the parmesan cheese over top of the ricotta covered bread and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the squash blossoms over the cheese-covered bread. When placing the squash blossoms onto the focaccia, keep in mind how you plan on slicing the bread and ensure each slice will have a least one of the squash blossoms on the slice.Grate or sprinkle with remaining parmesan over the squash blossoms.Bake until bread is golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Serve drizzled with remaining oil.
AH-MAZING! I have never cooked with squash blossoms – but absolutely love ordering them when I see them on a menu. This recipe looks fantastic girl! 😀
Thanks Annie! I hope you get the chance sometime. They are fun to cook with!
This looks and sounds so marvelous! I’d never think to use squash blossoms like this. 🙂
Thanks, Mollie. I hope you get to try this. The blossoms are delicious! 🙂
I have always “stuffed” and “fried” my squash blossoms but using them like this is a great idea and so colorful too! Sometimes I wish I still had my big garden as the blossoms are definitely hard to come by and they cost a lot too 🙂
Thanks! You are so right about the cost. I think they are rare enough to splurge. I wish I could have a garden, but I’d need security from the wildlife…lol!
Ohhhhh mama! I could eat this everydayyyyy
Me too Rachel!