This pizza topping combination is a great tasting meat free option. Even my teenage boys approve, and they like a lot of meat. The pizza dough recipe is easier than you think, and only takes about 15 minutes to pull together. You do need a pizza stone to bake a pizza in your oven. The high heat from the pizza stone helps to crisp up the pizza crust. I also preheat my oven to 525 degrees. This is not as hot as a dedicated pizza oven, but hot enough for a pretty good pizza. This recipe calls for pre-cooking the spinach and garlic, and the cheese is added on top.
This pizza dough recipe makes 2 medium or 3 small pizzas. You can make 1 large pizza instead by reducing the flour to 2 cups, the water to 2/3 cups, and the yeast to 2 ¼ teaspoons, which is the standard amount in one yeast packet. Also reduce the salt to about ¾ teaspoon, the sugar to 1 teaspoon, and the oil to 2 tablespoons. But for our family of 4+ (depending on who’s home), 2 medium pizzas are perfect.
In the summer I like to make grilled pizza so I don’t have to heat up my oven. The dough is cooked directly on the grill grates, and no, it doesn’t stick or fall through. Instructions are below.
Grilled Pizza
Preheat the grill. Divide one crust recipe into at least 2 crusts to make smaller and easier to handle pizzas. Stretch each pizza dough ball into a smallish crust, about 12 inches in diameter. Make sure all you toppings are ready to go be four you start grilling. Turn down the grill to medium high and place the pizza dough directly on the grill grates. Grill for about two minutes. Lightly flour a large cutting board or cookie sheet. Remove the crusts from the grill using a large spatula and flip the crust so the grilled side it up and the raw side is down on the floured cutting board. Top pizza as desired, and return to grill for another 3-4 minutes. Crust will be crisp on the outside with a slightly chewy center, and the topping will be melted but not browned. It’s best to go a little light on the toppings so they have time to heat up. This is a great summer pizza.
Spinach Ricotta Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza crust
- 3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 3 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Pizza Toppings – Spinach Ricotta Pizza (per pizza, dough recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas)
- 4 oz. Hunt’s tomato sauce 8 oz. can for 2 pizzas
- Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 Roma tomato thinly sliced, or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 4 oz.
Instructions
- Start by getting the pizza stone ready. Place the pizza stone in the oven, and preheat it to 525 degrees.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, combine 2 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a medium large bowl. Add water and oil and mix until well blended. Gradually add final cup of flour until soft dough ball is formed. Knead dough on a floured surface for 4 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
- If you have a stand mixer, you can add all the ingredients at once and mix with the dough hook on low speed. Once a dough forms, continue kneading the dough with the mixer for about 4 minutes.
- Coat the outside of the dough with vegetable oil, and place it back in the bowl. Let it rise while you prepare toppings.
- When you’re ready to start baking, divide the dough into 2 medium or 3 small pizzas.
- Saute the spinach and garlic in a nonstick pan with a little oil until the spinach is wilted.
- On a rimless cookie sheet topped with parchment paper, stretch the pizza dough into a circle. I like a thin crust, but if you prefer a thicker one you will probably need to increase the baking time.
- To top the pizza, spread the tomato sauce over the crust then sprinkle evenly with Italian seasoning blend.
- Next add the spinach and garlic mixture, distributing evenly over the pizza.
- Add small dollops of ricotta cheese, each about 1-2 teaspoons worth.
- Finally, top with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Transfer the pizza and parchment paper onto the preheated pizza stone, and bake for 8-9 minutes or until the crush is crisp and the cheese is lightly browned.
- To get the pizza out of the oven, use the rimless cookie sheet again. Position it next to the pizza stone, and pull the parchment and pizza out of the oven and onto the cookie sheet.
1 Comment
Leave your reply.