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04
Artichoke Spinach Pizza with White Beans
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Pizza recipes have been popular around our house lately, especially this Artichoke Spinach Pizza with White Beans.
One thing that I love about pizza for dinner, is you don’t have to have a set recipe. It’s fun to think outside the box. Look at what you have in the fridge and how you can put that together into a new recipe.
Getting Creative with Pizza Recipes
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Crust
- Add herbs or cheeses, such as Parmesan to your pizza crust dough
- Experiment with different flours
- Use items like Whole Wheat Naan, Crackerbread, Bagels or English Muffins instead of traditional pizza crust
Sauce
Who said the sauce has to be Italian tomato sauce? Or that you even have to have a sauce on your pizza. We love the creamy white bean sauce featured in this recipe, but there are lots of fun ideas for sauce:
- Pesto (and it can be any kind of pesto – basil, or not)
- Alfredo sauce
- Hummus, such as Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
- refried beans or pureed black beans
- Garlic and oil
Toppings
We usually just take a peek in our fridge and pantry to see what potential ingredients we have and what items might taste well together.
The Flavor Bible is also a great resource for flavor matching if you have a hard time doing this intuitively, or just want extra inspiration.
Some of our favorite combos:
- Italian Sausage + Roasted Pepper + Olives
- Spinach + Artichoke + White Bean
- Medley of roasted vegetables + Garlic
- Black Bean Spread + Mexican Veggies + Cilantro
Spinach and Artichokes are an obviously match in this pizza. I had leeks in the fridge and I like their milder flavor compared to onions, so I threw some of those on for good measure.
I knew I wanted a white sauce, and rather than preparing a fatty alfredo (we’re trying to be a little healthier after all those Christmas sweets), I experimented with a white bean based sauce. Since there were extra beans from making the sauce, I sprinkled them on top of the pizza for added fiber and protein.
All in all, this recipe was a success! And I made it start to finish (pizza dough was already prepared) in less than 30 minutes.
What are your favorite ways to get creative with your pizza recipes?
Artichoke Spinach Pizza with White Beans
Yield: serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Pizza:
1 recipe for your favorite pizza crust
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
2 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 recipe creamy white bean sauce, recipe follows
1/3 cup white beans
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 - 14.5 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts
salt and pepper, to taste
sliced fresh mozzarella cheeseFor the Creamy White Bean Sauce:
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup white beans, such as cannellini
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 - 2 drops, pure rosemary oil or 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic
pinch salt and pepper, or to taste
1 - 2 tablespoons milk, to reach desired consistencyDirections:
Prepare pizza crust according to your favorite recipe's instructions. I like Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Crust.
Preheat your oven to 550 degrees F (or 500 if your oven doesn't go up to 550). Place a pizza stone on the upper middle rack.
For the Sauce
Prepare the creamy white bean sauce by adding all of the ingredients into a small food processor, I like my Cuisinart 4-Cup Chopper for jobs like this, and puree until smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides as needed. Set aside.
In a cast iron or saute skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the cleaned (see: How to Clean Leeks) and chopped leeks and saute until tender. About 3-5 minutes. Add the chopped spinach and saute until wilted, about 3 minutes.
To Assemble the Pizza
Lay out a sheet of parchment paper. Roll the pizza crust out on top of the parchment. Spread your desired amount of creamy white bean sauce on top of the pizza dough (reserve any extra for another use).
Top with the leek and spinach mixture. Sprinkle with the dried Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons parmesan, 1/3 cup white beans, and quartered artichoke hearts. Top with several slices of fresh mozzarella cheese.
Transfer the pizza with parchment paper to the pizza stone and bake for 5 - 10 minutes, or until the crust is as crispy as you'd like and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
adapted from Artichoke Pizza and Pizza Florentine
About the Author:
Katie’s lifelong interest in cooking good food has shown her that part of the goodness in life is enjoying delicious food with friends and family. She is: Writer. Photographer. Recipe Developer. Website Founder. Lover of all things good in life. Wife & Mom. A mix of great recipes, family memories, and yummy photography is what Katie serves up each week at GoodLife Eats™. Katie resides in Colorado with her husband and two children.
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Hello! I'm Katie Goodman, author of GoodLife Eats Etc. where I share what I find in my life. A mix of great recipes, family memories, adventures, good reads, and anything else that I love is what you will discover here.
I love chicken curry on pizza – it’s fantastic! Love this post, Katie.
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Oh this looks amazing!!!
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Thanks for a great recipe…we’re always looking to try new ones and your photos are beautiful!
We like to buy our pizza dough from Trader Joe’s. They sell it fresh in the deli area in a baggie. It costs under $2.00. Then we top it with any leftovers that we can find.
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This sounds fantastic. I love the idea of using white beans for the sauce, and anything with spinach and artichokes must end up in my mouth at some point.
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Goooood heavens, YES.
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We do pizza night a few times a month and I am always looking for new ideas. Of course our staple is pepperoni or pineapple and Canadian bacon, but we also like a taco pizza and buffalo chicken pizza. But I love your healthy version above. I think we’ll try that one soon!
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This sounds delicious and full of flavors that we love. I hope to work it into the menu plan for the weekend. Thanks for sharing.
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Love the look of this pizza… Spinach and artichokes are such a great flavor combo!
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I like to use seasonal ingredients for inspiration. For fall and winter pizza toppings I like sauteed greens, potatoes, and meats such as sausage and salami. For spring and summer options I like roasted corn, peppers, and onions, and even grilled fruit. We adore spinach and artichoke too. It’s a classic in our house that tastes great 12 months of the year!
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What a great post – this pizza sounds incredible! I definitely need to whip up a batch of dough this weekend! Thanks for the inspiration!
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My husband of all people loves to put caesar salad on his white pizza – if it gets him to eat greens, it’s cool with me!
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What an interesting idea for pizza. I get tired of tomato sauce based pizzas after a while, and I love finding inspiration for new ways to enjoy them.
I personally love smoked mozzarella with tart apple and green olives or crispy pancetta (love the salty/sweet thing).
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I would LOVE this pizza Katie!!
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Gorgeous pizza! When I’m making my buffalo chicken pizza, I use hot sauce as the base. I love your white bean-based sauce and can’t wait to try it!
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Love that white bean sauce! I usually prefer white pizzas to those heavy in tomato sauce, I find the flavors since more. Beautiful pizza.
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A fantastic recipe with awesome ingredients! Guess what we’ll try at home this weekend? Thank you for sharing.
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I made a pizza that had ricotta for the “sauce” and then it was topped with roasted root veggies. It was divine. I love this idea of using white beans!
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So I am going to be needing to make white bean pizza now!!
jenetta
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Thanks for linking up to I’m Lovin’ It Katie! I featured your post in my wrap up http://tidymom.net/2012/great-ideas-10/ Have a great weekend!
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I love the idea for this pizza – artichokes are one of my favorite toppings although I’ve never tried white beans before, I bet it’s delicious
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I love this, and so would the resident mister and assorted other menfolk near and dear to my heart. I keep dough balls in the freezer just to whip up something like this. You’ve chosen some wonderful flavor combinations.
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I LOVE artichokes…and I love white beans – I can’t wait to try this idea.
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Love this twist on pizza. Sounds delish! We’d love it if you’d link your recipe up at seasonalpotluck.com March is artichoke month! http://www.seasonalpotluck.com/?page_id=32
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Thank you for this!!! I made it tonight, using whole wheat pitas as the crust and adding sun-dried tomatoes. It was fabulous! Husband and kid approved!
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