Posted in Recipes on 08.02.2023
Spinach and Artichoke Pizza
prep: 10 mins / cook: 30 mins / inactive: 40 mins / total: 1 hour 20 mins / quantity: 2 large or 4 small pizzas Print recipe?
Garlicky, herby and cheesy this vegan spinach and artichoke pizza is so easy to make, so much cheaper than takeaway and beyond delicious!
I’ve never understood the price of takeaway pizza. I mean it’s just bread dough, tomato sauce, a meagre scattering of toppings and a bit of cheese. Even a basic marinara costs a disproportionate amount. And while there are actual vegan options now, it’s still a bit limited on choice. So make your own! It couldn’t be easier, YOU have control over the amount of toppings and this spinach and artichoke pizza is honestly heavenly.
The pizza base is also SO simple to make. It’s a yeast dough but made with plain flour – giving a lighter, crispy crust and doesn’t require any kneading at all. Just a quick mix and one prove for around 40 minutes. You can even make the dough beforehand and leave it in the fridge for a couple of days.
A herby, garlic butter is then brushed all over the rolled out dough, the spinach is piled high, as is the cheese before liberally scattering over the artichokes.
I cut a slice for my Instagram reel video to show the crispy crust and before I took a single photo that piece was shovelled into my mouth with so much oohing and ahhing I was glad I was not in public.
And because I’d taken a cut at a rather odd angle I had to ‘arrange’ the other slices to hide my impatience. That’s the downside of food blogging. I cook what I want to eat and when I’ve either not eaten yet or eaten a long time ago and been preparing/smelling all this food I often can’t resist the impulse to just shovel.
The key ingredients for this vegan pizza:
Homemade pizza base – so easy to make but in a pinch use shop bought if necessary.
Oil and vegan butter – use a salted butter, the oil is there to help stop the butter from burning
Spinach – use fresh spinach for this. Frozen spinach will be too watery.
Vegan cheese – I’ve used two types, mozzarella and parmesan. If you can get it, Violife vegan parmesan is just brilliant. It looks, smells, tastes and grates for all the world like dairy parmesan. I love this parmesan on top of pizza for a bit of extra cheesy oomph!
Artichokes – we’re using marinated artichoke hearts from a jar. They give such a creamy, tangy flavour to anything. I also love adding them to salad for touch of luxury!
How to make this spinach and artichoke pizza:
If you’re making the base start with that. It’s the longest part simply because it takes a while to prove. You can do this up to a couple of days in advance and leave the dough in the fridge. It’s very easy to make this homemade pizza base as we’re using plain flour so there’s no energetic kneading to be done!
Whisk the yeast and sugar into tepid water and leave to stand for 5-10 minutes until the top of the liquid is frothy. You want the water to be literally just warm.
The dough can be made by hand or quickly mixed in a stand mixer. Once the yeast liquid is frothy mix it together with the flour, salt and oil until it forms a dough. Then pop it into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for around 40 minutes. You want the dough to have roughly doubled in size so it may take a little longer.
If you’re making the dough in advance put the covered bowl in the fridge for a couple of days.
Once the dough is ready, roll or push into 2 large or 4 small pizza shapes. You can make these whatever shape you like – round or rectangular if that fits your tray better. Put the pizza bases onto lined trays.
Melt the butter then mix in the oil, garlic and herbs. Brush this all over the pizza dough, covering each one.
Scatter over the spinach then the cheese. If the artichoke pieces are quite large, cut or break them into smaller sizes then nestle them among the spinach and cheese.
Grind over a good amount of black pepper and a quick drizzle of olive oil then bake in a hot oven for around 30 minutes until the pizza crust is crisp and golden.
Really simple right?! So worth the little extra effort and doesn’t take much longer than ordering a pizza!
If you make this Spinach and Artichoke Pizza or any of the recipes from The Cook & Him I’d LOVE to see! Just snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #thecookandhim and tagging @thecookandhim in the photo itself (as this guarantees I’ll see your picture!)
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Spinach and Artichoke Pizza
prep: 10 mins / cook: 30 mins / inactive: 40 mins / total: 1 hour 20 mins / quantity: 2 large or 4 small pizzas
Ingredients
Pizza Base:
3/4 cup (190ml) tepid water (see note)
1 + 1/2 teaspoons active dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups (280g) plain white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pizza Topping:
3 tablespoons (45g) vegan butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic – peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 large handfuls (approx 150g) fresh baby spinach
1 cup (85g) vegan mozzarella – grated
1/2 cup (20g) vegan parmesan – grated
1/2 cup (120g) marinated artichoke hearts – drained
Instructions
- Start with the pizza base - put the tepid water, sugar and yeast into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cover and leave for 5-10 minutes until the top is frothy
- Add the flour, salt and olive oil and mix to form a dough
- Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for around 40 minutes until roughly doubled in size. Alternatively put in the fridge for a couple of days if you're making the dough in advance
- Preheat your oven to 180 Fan / 200 C / 400 F / Gas 6 and line a couple of large trays with parchment or silicon
- Cut the dough into 2 or 4 equal sized pieces then roll each piece out on a lightly floured surface into circles or rectangles and place onto the prepared trays
- Melt the butter then mix with the oil, garlic and herbs. Brush this all over the pizza bases
- Scatter the spinach over the pizza bases, followed by the cheeses
- If the artichoke pieces are quite large cut or break them into smaller sizes then nestle amongst the spinach and cheese
- Bake for 30-36 minutes until crisp and golden
Notes
- The water should be blood temperature - meaning when you put your finger in it you can't feel if it's hot or cold!
Hello there! I’m Sam, former Michelin star pastry chef and now your go-to vegan foodie on a mission to make plant-based eating a deliciously easy adventure! From cozy comfort foods to vibrant salads and decadent desserts, there’s something for everyone in my kitchen.
Whether you’re cooking for one or for a houseful I believe food doesn’t have to be complicated to be full of FLAVOUR and I want to show you how. I’ve been a rigorous meal planner for over a decade whilst embracing seasonal ingredients (because that’s where the real flavour is!)
I’m also a dedicated dog mum to Nooch and Baxter and enjoy cooking them homemade treats (many of which are posted here) when I’m not screaming at the tennis or devouring fantasy fiction.
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