I love to try new pizza recipes. As far as I'm concerned, a pizza crust is just a vehicle for whatever toppings you can imagine.
Annie feels pretty much the same way, I think. She has many wonderful and creative pizza combinations on her blog, but this one caught my eye long ago. For some reason I didn't make it until recently and boy am I sorry about that. This combination of spinach, broccoli, and an alfredo-type sauce is inspired by a place called Mother Bear's Pizza in her home and college town of Bloomington, Indiana.
After finally making this, I definitely see why Annie likes it so much. Broccoli and cheese is a delicious classic combination, but when used as a pizza topping, it's an out of this world combination. Even though I've never been to Mother Bear's or even Indiana, I am now just as sold on this pizza as Annie and her husband are. I bet you'll love it just as much as we all do.
Spinoccoli Pizza
Ingredients:
for the white sauce:
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP flour
¾ c. heavy cream or half-and-half
1 clove garlic, smashed
salt and pepper, to taste
6 TBSP freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
for the pizza:
olive oil, for brushing
½ c. packed baby spinach leaves, torn
1 c. very small broccoli florets
2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
grated Parmesan
Directions:
1. To make the white sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan over
medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly,
until bubbling and light golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the heavy
cream and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook,
stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove
from the heat and whisk in the grated Parmesan until completely melted
and smooth. Discard the garlic clove. (Annie's note: This will make a bit more
sauce than you need for the pizza, but with a little extra cheese it
makes a great dipping sauce for crust.)
2. To make the pizza, preheat the oven and a pizza stone at 500˚ F for
at least 30 minutes. Roll out the pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round.
Lightly brush the outside edge with olive oil.
3. Spread a thin
layer of the white sauce over the crust, leaving a border for the crust. Sprinkle the spinach over the white
sauce. Evenly distribute the broccoli florets over the dough. Layer with shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Finish with
additional grated Parmesan, if desired.
4. Transfer the pizza to the
preheated pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling
and the crust is lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the
oven and let cool 3-5 minutes before slicing and serving.
one year ago: Slow cooker squash stew, another meatless (and easily vegan) meal.
two years ago: pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon-bourbon frosting