Spinach Brunch Pizza Recipes

ULTIMATE SPINACH PIZZA

Steps:

• Follow the Best Pizza Dough or Thin Crust Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
• Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here's the pizza oven we use).
• Run the spinach under warm water in a strainer, then squeeze out as much water as possible so that it has a dry, crumbly texture. Mix it in a bowl with 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, the garlic powder and the oregano.
• Mince the garlic. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta with the kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and minced garlic. Thinly slice the red onion, and dice the roasted red pepper.
• When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don't have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
• Spread the seasoned ricotta onto the dough. Top with the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach, red onion, and red pepper.
• Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

SPINACH PIZZA

Steps:

• Prepare pizza dough according to package directions. With floured hands, press dough onto a greased 12-in. pizza pan. , Spread Alfredo sauce over dough to within 1 in. of edges. Thinly slice or chop tomatoes; top pizza with spinach, tomatoes and cheese. , Bake at 450° for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

SPINACH-EGG BREAKFAST PIZZAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°. Line two 15x10x1-in. baking pans with parchment; sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Cut dough into 4 pieces; stretch and shape into 6- to 7-in. circles and place in pans., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach; cook and stir until just starting to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Combine spinach with next 5 ingredients; spread spinach mixture over each pizza. Leave a slight border of raised dough along edge. Bake on a lower oven rack about 5 minutes., Remove from oven; break an egg into center of each pizza. Return to lower oven rack, baking until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, 6-10 minutes. Drizzle olive oil over pizzas; top with additional Parmesan and pepper. Serve immediately.

BREAKFAST PIZZA WITH SAUSAGE, EGGS, SPINACH, AND CREAM

Steps:

• Place your stone on the lowest shelf of your oven, then turn your oven to its highest temperature. Most ovens go to 500°F (260°C) and some to 550°F (287°C). Heat your stone for at least one hour before baking.
• If you're taking your dough out of the fridge, give it about 15 minutes or so to warm up a bit so it will be easier to work with. It should have doubled in size in the fridge. If it hasn't, let it sit at room temperature, covered with a slightly damp towel, until it does.
• Lightly flour your counter and your hands. Flip the dough into the flour bowl so the top side of the dough ball gets dusted first. Flip it once more, making sure that the dough is completely coated. Press the dough down into the flour, then pick it up and place it on the floured countertop.
• Pressing your fingers firmly into the dough, start by flattening the center and work your way out toward the edge to make it wider, until it's about 7 to 9 inches (17 to 23 cm) wide. Pushing down on the dough will release some of the gas and actually begin opening up the dough. Be careful not to disturb the outermost lip. This will eventually become your crust.
• The next step is a bit tricky. Your goal is to take this disc of dough and carefully stretch it to about 14 to 16 inches (35.5 to 40.5 cm) without tearing it or creating a hole. I pick it up with floured hands and begin to gently stretch it over my fists, letting gravity do most of the work.
• Once you've stretched it enough, put the dough back on the counter, making sure there is a generous dusting of flour underneath. Take a few generous pinches of semolina flour and dust your pizza peel. Make sure it's coated evenly. Gently lift and transfer your dough to the peel. Make sure both your hands and the peel are well-floured. You are now ready to dress your pie.
• Start by adding both mozzarellas to the dough, followed by the spinach and garlic. Add the sausage. Top with the cream and season with salt. Transfer to the oven. Bake for 3 minutes, then open the oven, pull out the rack with the baking stone, crack the eggs into the center of the pizza, and season them with salt and pepper. Push the rack back into the oven, close the door, and finish baking.
• The crust will rise significantly. Then change the oven setting from bake to broil, cooking the pizza from the top down until the crust begins to blister. The residual heat of the stone will continue to cook the bottom. (If your broiler is at the bottom of your oven, skip this step and continue to bake the pizza as described.) I cook all my pizzas until they're well done, which could take up to 10 minutes total (sometimes less). Just keep checking so you don't burn it. Look for the cheese to color and the crust to turn deep brown. It may blacken in spots, and that's okay.
• When the pizza is done, remove it from the oven and finish with the chives, a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes, a drizzle of olive oil, and the grated hard cheese.

SPINACH AND THREE-CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 550 degrees (or highest temperature) with a pizza stone placed on lowest rack for at least 30 minutes. Top a pizza peel with parchment paper.
• Working with one piece of dough, flatten dough into a disk that is thicker in the center than at the edges. Using your fingers, gently pull on the edges of the dough to form a 12-inch circle; dough should still be thicker in the center. Transfer dough to prepared pizza peel.
• Top dough with one-quarter of the cheeses, spinach, and sliced garlic. Season with pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
• Transfer pizza along with parchment paper to pizza stone and bake until spinach is wilted and slightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Using pizza peel, remove pizza from oven and top with one-quarter of the mint. Serve with lemon wedges. Repeat process with remaining dough and toppings.

BACON, EGG, AND SPINACH BREAKFAST PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place pizza on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a frying pan. Saute bacon, onion, and bell pepper in the hot oil until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off any grease and return to the pan. Add chopped spinach and garlic; stir until spinach is wilted. Remove from the pan to a small bowl to let cool for a few minutes.
• Remove pizza from oven. Leave oven on. Add egg whites to vegetable mixture; stir to combine.
• Carefully top pizza with vegetable-egg mixture. Pour slowly so eggs don't run off the sides. Use a spoon to catch any drips and return to the top of the pizza.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Top with Cheddar cheese and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil.

SPINACH AND MARINATED TOMATO PIZZA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, place grape tomatoes and vinaigrette; stir to coat. Set aside.
• Cook spinach as directed on box. Squeeze to drain well.
• On ungreased cookie sheet, place pizza crust. Spread spinach evenly over crust; sprinkle with pepper. With slotted spoon, remove tomatoes from vinaigrette; arrange tomatoes over spinach. Top evenly with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with basil.