Chicago-Style Stuffed Spinach Pizza Recipe #88044
This is my favorite pizza. It's a little work but, to me, it's worth every minute. Another recipe that I clipped years ago from the Chicago Trib. The prep time includes the dough rising time, though it may be less if you're using quick-rise yeast, which works fine with this recipe.
by Hey Jude
2 hours | 2 hours prep
SERVES 6
Crust
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 4-6 cups flour
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Filling
- 3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained (squeeze water out with your hands)
- 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated romano cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Crust: dissolve yeast and sugar in water in a large bowl; let stand until bubbly; stir in oil then stir in 4 cups of the flour until smooth; add additional flour as needed to form a stiff dough.
- Lightly flour the work surface; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 7 to 10 minutes; put into a greased bowl; turn to coat top then let rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Sauce: heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add garlic, cook 2 minutes; stir in tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and pepper; simmer until very thick, about 30 minutes or so.
- Filling: mix spinach, mozzarella, mushrooms, parmesan, romano, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Heat oven to 450°.
- Punch down dough; let rest 10 minutes.
- Lightly oil a 12-inch pizza pan that is at least 2" deep.
- Roll two-thirds of dough into a 16-inch circle; let sides overhang the pan.
- Put the spinach mixture into center of dough; smooth evenly over the surface.
- Roll the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; place over the spinach filling then pinch the edges together and cut excess dough at the edges so that the bottom dough is level with the top crust.
- Pour sauce over the dough to cover.
- Bake until crust is golden, 20-40 minutes.
- Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into wedges for serving.
- Ice cold beer or root beer is great with this pizza.
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5 stars