Spinach Artichoke Pizza

Taking inspiration from the classic dip, this spinach artichoke pizza is topped with spinach pesto that’s a mix of parsley, Parmesan and walnuts.

I have no official statistics or research, but I bet the Super Bowl is a very close second to Thanksgiving in the importance of food holidays. 

In the week leading up to the big game, I focus my cooking and recipes on football, but I won’t limit them to just this Sunday.

I will be making them long after clock on the 4^th quarter ticks down to zero.

Pizza is on my list of favorite foods no matter what time of the day, month or year, and it is total game day fare.

With the Super Bowl on my mind, I made a spinach artichoke pizza inspired by the classic dip.

When I think of spinach & artichoke dip, I picture a thick, rich mixture with plenty of cream cheese, sour cream and Parmesan. Not what I want in a pizza.

My usual strategy is to go light on the cheese and heavy on the vegetable toppings.

Spinach Artichoke Pizza: The Ingredients

Since this was a sauce-less pizza, I needed another kind of spread for the base.

So I whipped up spinach pesto with garlic, parsley and walnuts in the food processor.

It was a more exciting way of getting spinach onto a pizza instead of just wilting it on the stove. Plus then it guaranteed spinach in every bite.

For the crust, I used a combination of bread flour and whole wheat flour, which I find gives it more flavor and chew. 

I love making dough from scratch, but of course it’s absolutely fine to use store-bought dough or even one of those premade flatbreads.

I gave the crust a head start in the oven on a baking stone.

Then I smeared on the spinach pesto followed by the artichokes and just a little of shredded cheese. I put the pizza back in the oven, so the cheese could melt.

When the pizza finished baking, I sprinkled on red pepper flakes for some heat along with chopped parsley. 

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 2-1/2 hours
• Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 40-42 minutes
• Yield: 1 pizza 1x

Print Recipe

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Description

Taking inspiration from the classic dip, this spinach artichoke pizza is topped with spinach pesto that’s a mix of parsley, Parmesan and walnuts.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• For crust
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil plus more for bowl
• 1 cup bread flour plus more for work surface
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• Cornmeal for pizza stone
• For pesto
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• For toppings
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped marinated artichokes
• 1/4 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• Whole and chopped parsley leaves
• Red pepper flakes

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Instructions

1. For the dough, combine the water, yeast, sugar and olive oil and let stand for 5 minutes until foamy. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until it forms a shaggy dough.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. (Alternatively, the dough can be mixed in the bowl of a stand mixer using a dough hook.)
2. Gather the dough into a ball, transfer to an oiled bowl and cover. Place the bowl in a warm spot to allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours.
3. For the pesto, finely chop the garlic in a food processor. Add the spinach, parsley, walnuts, Parmesan, salt and pepper, and process into a paste. While the food processor is running, pour the olive oil in a fine stream until the pesto is fully combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a pizza stone inside the oven.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pizza dough into a 12-inch diameter circle. Sprinkle the preheated pizza stone with cornmeal and place the dough on it. Bake the crust for 5 minutes before spreading on the pesto, leaving a 1-inch border, followed by the artichokes and cheese. Continue baking for 5-7 minutes until the crust is golden brown and cooked through and the cheese has melted.
6. Sprinkle the pizza with red pepper flakes and parsley before serving.

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