Happy Hours are best when served at home. Take advantage of togetherness this season and host a happy hour with friends, wine and this butternut and apple flatbread.
Last Spring, my husband and I decided to start doing more happy hours at home. It’s such a simple but lovely way to connect, especially when life gets busy. Over the summer we hosted friends outside in our small backyard, and this past weekend we put together a very pretty (but still very casual) holiday wine party spread.
I used to get all worked up about hosting, thinking that it had to be this big, elaborate production with everything made from scratch and our house in tip-top shape. Nowadays I’m a lot more relaxed—an appetizer platter using what’s in season, a simple homemade recipe, and a couple of great wine options. That’s really all it takes to make guests feel taken care of and happy. 
For my appetizer spread, I tried to source as much produce as possible from our local farmer’s market, which included colorful carrots, broccoli, and radishes, along with roasted almonds, dried cranberries, some seedy crackers, and a store-bought nut-based cheese.
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Butternut and Apple Flatbread with Sonoma-Cutrer Wine
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Ingredients
for the cashew cheese:
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked 2 hours (or overnight), rinsed and drained)
- 1/4 cup filtered water
- juice from 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons white miso
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt (to taste)
for the flatbreads:
- 1 1/2 cups cubed (1/2-inch size butternut squash)
- extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
- sea salt and pepper
- 3 plain vegan naan flatbreads
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- few pinches of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 small apple (very thinly sliced)
- juice of 1/4 lemon
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- handful of micro green
Instructions
- Make the cashew cheese: Add all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On one baking sheet, toss the butternut squash cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the middle oven rack and bake until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the butternut squash and reduce the oven temperature to 400°F.
- Place the naan bread on the second baking sheet and spread each with a layer of the prepared cashew cheese. Divide the butternut squash between the pieces of naan. Top each with a third of the pecans and a small pinch of red pepper flakes. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the naan is golden brown and crispy.
- Place the apple slices and lemon juice in a small bowl and toss to coat. Top the baked flatbreads with the apple slices and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and micro greens. Drizzle with a small pour of olive oil, then slice into appetizer size portions.
Notes
Be sure to check the ingredients on your naan. Some contain dairy. If you can’t find vegan naan near you, feel free to use pita bread or pre-made pizza crust—whatever makes your life easier!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
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- Wine Pairing and Recipe: Pomegranate Salmon
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the cashew cheese ahead of time?
Yes — the cashew cheese actually benefits from being made a day in advance. Soak the raw cashews for 2 hours or overnight, blend with the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, white miso, and olive oil, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using. It keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, making it an easy component to prep ahead for a party.
Is this butternut and apple flatbread vegan?
It can be entirely vegan with one check: make sure the naan bread you use contains no dairy or eggs. The recipe notes flag this specifically and suggest pita bread or pre-made pizza crust as alternatives if vegan naan is hard to find locally. Everything else in the recipe — cashew cheese, butternut squash, apple, pecans, pomegranate seeds, and micro greens — is already plant-based.
How do I keep the naan from going soggy under the cashew cheese?
Bake the butternut squash first at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes until tender, then reduce the oven to 400°F before assembling. Spreading a thin but even layer of cashew cheese rather than a thick one, and baking for 7 to 10 minutes until the naan edges are golden brown and crispy, prevents moisture from soaking through. Add the fresh apple slices and pomegranate seeds after baking, not before, so they don’t release liquid into the base.
