SPINACH, BROCCOLI, AND TOMATO DEEP DISH PIZZA

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Casseroles|Ciao Bella|Pizza|Vegetarian

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Ingredients

The Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1, 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, peeled

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Dish off the Block Ciao Bella Italian Seasoning

1 teaspoon sugar

The Toppings

3 cups broccoli florets

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups baby spinach leaves, packed

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Pizza dough for one 12-14” pizza (recipe below)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Pizza Dough

2 tablespoons olive oil (plus 2 teaspoons to oil the bowl)

1 tablespoon honey

1 ½ cups warm water (120 degrees)

1 packet yeast

2 teaspoons salt

3 ½ – 4 cups flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and sugar. Bring to a low boil and turn the heat to low. Using a wooden spoon break the tomatoes into small bite size chunks. Let the sauce cook, stirring occasionally until almost all of the moisture has evaporated, about 10-12 minutes. The sauce will be very thick and ‘pull away’ from the bottom of the pan.

While the sauce bubbles away, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place your broccoli florets into a microwave safe bowl with ¼ cup of water. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes until the broccoli is steamed, but still crisp. Remove, drain, and set aside.

Knead your pizza dough a few times to ‘proof’ it and let it rest in between. This will make it easier to work with. Work your dough into a 12-14” circle. If the dough is very ‘springy’ stop occasionally to let it rest and it will be easier to work with.

Coat a 12” cast iron pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Place the dough in the pan and, using your fingers, press it into the pan evenly and ‘push it’ about halfway up the sides.

Spread 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese in the bottom of the dough, followed by ½ cup of the cheddar cheese. Press the spinach leaves on top of the cheese in an even layer and top with the broccoli florets. Season with the salt.

Top with the remaining cup of mozzarella and remaining ¼ cup of the cheddar cheese. Dollop all over the top with the sauce leaving some of the broccoli partially exposed (the florets will get nice and toasty in the oven this way). Sprinkle the feta cheese all over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes and remove from the oven and drizzle olive oil all over the top and on the exposed crust. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the top is browned, bubbly, and the crust is golden.

Let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and devour!

Pizza Dough

Place olive oil, honey, and water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to dissolve honey into the water (so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the bowl). Sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquid mixture, stir, and let sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast becomes foamy. Add salt and 2 ½ cups of the flour. Mix using the dough hook attachment. Gradually add as much of the remaining flour as needed until a ball forms. Empty dough onto a floured countertop and knead for 8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic adding flour as needed if sticky.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in bulk. Knead dough briefly and divide into 2 equal parts and form balls. Let rest for 30 minutes under a clean kitchen towel. If you are not using both balls, refrigerate each ball in a plastic bag sprayed with cooking spray for up to 5 days.