Places to Eat

Pumpkin Spice Pizza Gives You a New Way to Enjoy Pumpkin This Fall

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Tony Maples Photography

 

While you’ve heard of pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pie, you may not know about the latest fall creation: pumpkin spice pizza. This pizza marries flavors that work well together because chefs frequently use pumpkin in both sweet and savory dishes. Consider pumpkin ravioli or pumpkin tamales, both of which can combine pumpkin and cheese. For something unusual this fall, sample this unique but tasty dish from a restaurant chain you can visit in the Texas Hill Country.

What is in Pumpkin Spice Pizza?

Pumpkin Spice Pizza from Villa Italian Kitchen

Photo: Facebook/Villa Italian Kitchen

Pumpkin spice pizza does not mean putting pumpkin pie filling on top of a pizza. The creators of this pie did extensive research into finding the perfect flavors to place on the crust. Instead of tomato sauce, which would likely overpower the pumpkin, the recipe’s creators opted to spread pumpkin puree, lightly spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Atop the filling, the creators spread a generous layer of mozzarella cheese, which has a creaminess to enhance the pumpkin. To further accent the pumpkin flavor, several dollops of the pumpkin filling go on top of the pie, which gets baked as usual and served to you hot and fresh.

Who Makes It?

Villa Italian Kitchen will sell pumpkin spice pizza this year

Photo: Facebook/Villa Italian Kitchen

Who creates the unique pumpkin spice pizza? Villa Italian Kitchen, a fast-casual Italian chain, is the restaurant behind this dish. The chain originated in 1964 when Michele Scotto opened a shop in New York City to sell authentic Naples pizza. Today, with 300 restaurants across the country, the chain still remains a part of the Scotto family, more than 50 years after its founding.

Where Can You Find It?

Villa Italian Kitchen restaurants typically are found in mall food courts

Photo: Facebook/Villa Italian Kitchen

Ready to try the pumpkin spice pizza? Luckily, you don’t have to leave Texas to do so. Villa Italian Kitchen has several locations in the Texas Hill Country. Since most of these are located in shopping centers or mall food courts, finding a location is easy. Get your pumpkin spice pizza fix by visiting one of these restaurants in San Antonio, San Marcos, Austin, Cedar Park, or Round Rock.