Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza

Good morning, readers! Happy Monday! I don't know what it looks like where you're at but here in Raleigh sure is dreary. We went from a beautiful and sunny 88 degrees on Saturday to rainy and unpleasant 60 degrees yesterday and today. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?


Yesterday I went to my weekly Cycle and Flow class (45 minutes of cycling, 45 minutes of restorative yoga) and afterwards I was starving! Earlier in the week my new friend Abbey discovered a recipe on Pinterest that I was certainly intrigued by so I figured last night was the perfect opportunity to test it out; plus, what else was I going to be doing on such an indoor-friendly day?


I've said it once and I'll say it again, Pinterest can be great for recipes but it can also result in disasters. I am happy to report this wasn't the case with my recipe but I tweaked it slightly from the original. I made my own pizza dough, because homemade is automatically better, and I doubled the cream cheese, Greek yogurt and artichokes because frankly those are all delicious ingredients and you should use as much of them as possible.


Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza

1 pound pizza dough (recipe to follow)
Cooking spray
8 oz light cream cheese at room temperature
5.3 oz plain Greek yogurt
4 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and liquid removed
1 jar or can artichoke quarters, drained
1/2 Tsp red pepper flake
1/2 Tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 C shredded mozzarella cheese, divided


Preheat oven to 450.


In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and Greek yogurt until smooth and creamy. Add in spinach and artichokes, 1/4 C mozzarella and season. Set aside until ready to use.


Spray a pizza stone or baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll your pizza dough onto the baking sheet and top with the dip mixture in a single layer. Top with the remainder of the cheese and bake for 15 minutes.


I prefer the beautifully brown burnt cheese so I also put my pizza under the broiler for 2 minutes.


(Finally) Perfect Pizza Dough


1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 C warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 C flour


I have finally made the perfect pizza dough! I thought it wasn't possible but I finally achieved the stretchy, doughy and chewy deliciousness that has long been evading my efforts!


Dissolve yeast in warm water.


In my trusty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine ingredients until the dough forms a ball around the dough hook.


Now here's what I changed to FINALLY get perfect pizza dough, sprinkle a little flour on enough plastic wrap to completely encase the dough ball. Wrap the dough ball in a perfect little package and place in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight. The dough ball will expand in the fridge and I don't know why this helps but the dough will become easier to manage, less messy to manage and in turn, more delicious.


The pizza was chewy, tasty, cheesy. briny, and just all around delicious! I would definitely call this a Pinterest Win! It also paired perfectly with the Whole Foods Mixed Greens and Caesar salads that Abbey contributed!


Stay tuned for more delicious recipes this week! I'm finally running out of my Black Bean Burgers with Seasoned Fries and Papa Murphy's Gourmet Vegetarian Pizza! Happy Monday, readers!