Deep Dish Spinach And Mozzarella Pizza Recipes

DEEP-DISH SPINACH PIZZA

Steps:

• Crust: Proof yeast in water with sugar; in a food processor or in a bowl, mix 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and salt; add oil to bubbly yeast mixture and stir or process into flour mixture until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
• Scrape dough onto floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (or process until smooth and elastic), using up to 1/4 cup more all-purpose flour, if needed, to keep dough from sticking.
• Place dough in oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise, in warm place, until doubled; punch dough down, wrap it well and refrigerate until needed.
• Sauce: In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until soft; reduce heat to low and add tomatoes and their liquid; break up the tomatoes slightly and add the salt, sugar, pepper, and pepper flakes; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 30 minutes.
• Topping: Cook spinach in covered saucepan until wilted, about 3 minutes; drain, rinse with cold water and squeeze dry; chop coarsely; saute garlic in hot oil for 15 seconds; add spinach and cook, stirring, for 1 minute; set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the cheeses and set aside.
• Assembling: Move oven rack to lowest position and preheat to 475°; grease a 9" springform pan and sprinkle with corn meal.
• Roll half the dough out to a 12" circle; reserve other half of dough for another use; line the bottom and sides of the pan with the dough, but don't let any dough hang over the edge; spread 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture over the bottom of the crust.
• Spread tomato sauce evenly over the cheese; spread spinach over the tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining cheese; arrange the tomato slices vertically, along the side of the pie, alternating the slices with the basil leaves.
• Place the remaining tomato slices in a circle in the center, alternating with the pepper slices, interspersing red and green strips; bake for 25 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly; let set 5 minutes before removing side of pan and cutting.

DEEP DISH SPINACH AND MOZZARELLA PIZZA

Steps:

• Position an oven rack on the second-lowest level in the oven and place a baking stone, if using one, on the rack. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Brush a 14 inch round deep-dish pizza pan with the olive oil. Starting in the middle and using your fingertips. press the dough evenly to cover the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in the pan for 15-20 minutes.
• To assemble the pizza, lightly press the dough up the sides of the pan if it has slid back down. Lay half of the mozzarella slices over the pizza dough, overlapping to cover the dough completely.
• Toss the spinach with the garlic and a few grindings of pepper. Arrange the spinach mixture over the mozzarella. Arrange the rest of the mozzarella over the spinach. Ladle the tomato sauce evenly over the mozzarella. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top of the sauce.
• Place the pizza in the oven on the rack or baking stone and reduce the temperature to 450 degrees F. (Work quickly so the oven temperature doesn't drop too much). Bake the pizza until the crust is crisp and a deep golden brown, and the cheese is golden, about 30 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Use a knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan.
• Cut the pizza into large wedges and then slide a metal spatula until the bottom crust to remove and lift out the wedges. Serve immediately.

SPINACH DIP MOZZARELLA PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Place prepared crust on pizza pan.
• Spread spinach dip over entire crust.
• Sprinkle with water chestnuts if the spinach dip does not already contain them.
• If you can't find a good spinach dip in your local grocery deli there are many fine recipes here on Zaar.
• Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 10- 12 minutes until cheese and dip are bubbly and slightly browned.
• Cool a few minutes before cutting.
• Cut into wedges for lunch or dinner or cut into squares to use as an appetizer.

PIZZAPIAZZA DEEP DISH SPINACH PIZZA

Steps:

• Place spinach in a large saucepan, cover and cook over medium heat three to four minutes, until the spinach wilts. Remove from heat, place in a colander, rinse spinach under cold water and then squeeze dry with the hands. Chop spinach.
• Heat oil in a skillet, add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add spinach and mix with a fork for a minute or so. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch round baking pan 1 1/2 inches deep. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle and fit into pan. Dough should just cover the bottom and sides of the pan with no overhang.
• Mix cheeses together and spread 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture in the pan. Spread the tomato sauce over the cheese, covering the cheese completely. Spread spinach mixture over the tomato sauce, breaking up any clumps with your hands or a fork.
• Arrange alternating slices of tomato and basil leaves around the edge of the pan over the spinach. Fill the center with tomato slices. Then arrange alternating slices of green and red pepper in a spoke fashion over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes, until cheese and crust are golden and filling is bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting.