Pizza has always been a comfort food for me. The crust is the most important part, it has to be crisp and chewy. Layer your favorite topping on a good crust and you’re just about guaranteed to have a great pizza. I use to be strictly a pepperoni pizza fan but I’ve come to prefer meat-less pizzas…this Smokey Spinach Pizza is one of my favorites.
Spinach
Fresh spinach is one food you will always find in my refrigerator. It is so versatile, you can eat it raw in salads or cooked in just about anything, it always tastes great.
Spinach is full of antioxidants called flavonoids and carotenoids. The flavonoids in spinach have been found to function as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Spinach antioxidant nutrients include – vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and manganese, zinc, and selenium — it’s not surprising that spinach helps lower oxidative stress. Two carotenoids in spinach (lutein and zeaxanthin) are antioxidants aid in vision and help prevent age-related macular degeneration.
Spinach has lots of nutrients and is a great source of vitamin K, vitamin A, iron and folate.
Vitamin K is a fat-solube vitamin that aids in blood clotting and helps maintain bone health.
Vitamin A promotes good vision and helps maintains good skin health.
Iron is important as it helps hemoglobin hold oxygen in the blood.
Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that functions as a coenzyme in the synthesis of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and metabolism of amino acids.
Magnesium helps lower blood pressure and prevents arrhythmia.
Calcium is needed for healthy teeth and bones, nerve impulses, muscle contraction, and blood coagulation.
Spinach Nutrition
(1 cup)
- Calories 7
- Calcium 30 mg
- Potassium 167 mg
- Folate 58 µg
- Vitamin A 2813 IU
- Vitamin K 145 µg
Since the dough needs time to rise I prepare that first. There are a couple of important steps that I like to follow. I like to use a scale to weigh out the bread flour. I think it helps create a great crust. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of your water before adding it to the flour mix. If your water temperature isn’t correct it will affect how the yeast works.
After your dough has risen, pour it out onto lightly floured countertop. Dough will look very light and airy, gently knead and reshape into ball.
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 cup provolone/mozzarella blend, grated
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- pizza dough
- red sauce
- [For Sauce]
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- [For Crust]
- 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
- 10 ounces bread flour (2 cups )
- 1 package dry yeast (about 2¼ teaspoons)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- [For Sauce]
- In a medium saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic to pan cook just until fragrant. Take care not to burn.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop tomatoes out of can and place in pan, reserving juices. Crush tomatoes with the back of spoon or a masher. I like a potato masher best 😀
- Add juice, salt, and oregano to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes or until thickened.
- [For Crust]
- Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and spoons; level with a knife. Add flour, salt and yeast to large bowl. Add olive oil to one side of bowl. Slowly add in water and stir with wooden spoon to combine.
- Once dough comes together, place on lightly floured counter and knead to form soft elastic dough. Place dough in large bowl lightly coated with olive oil. Gently roll dough around bowl to coat. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Press or roll dough out to a rectangle on a lightly floured counter-top.
- Place a pizza stone on middle rack. Preheat oven to 500°.
- When oven has come to set temperature, remove hot stone from oven. Lightly dust with corn meal.
- Carefully place dough on hot stone.
- Top with pizza sauce, do not too much juice or pizza will be soggy, leave a ½ inch border. Arrange spinach leaves evenly over pizza. Top with grated provolone cheese and parmesan cheese evenly over pizza.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the crust is browned.
- Cut pizza into 12 pieces, and serve.
Shape the dough into a rectangle or circle and let it rest for several minutes before transferring it to the hot baking stone.
The crust is perfectly crisp and chewy. This is probably one of the best pizza dough recipes.
I love the freshness of the sauces with the bright green spinach. The provolone/mozzarella cheese was Sargento’s brand, it added a smoky flavor while still keeping the creamy cheesy goodness of mozzarella. I’m sure you’ll love this as much as we did 😀
[…] way to get another veggie and it is rich in nutrients. I have become crazy for spinach I use it on pizzas and just love fresh baby spinach in Spring […]