Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pizza

This is another one of those recipes I got from my sister. Most of my yummiest recipes come from siblings... They are just great cooks! I think this recipe is pretty fool-proof! You can put just about anything you want inside and it will be so yummy! Josh and I were both saying, "Mmm"... as we ate last night!

I used the recipe for a pizza crust from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and since it said that it would make 2 thin crust pizzas I figured it would be perfect... and it was!

Dough Ingredients:
2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups flour (I meant to use 50/50 white/wheat... but I forgot!
1 package active dry yeast (which is equivalent to about 2 1/4 tsp)
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. cooking oil

DIRECTIONS: In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups of flour, the yeast and 1/4 tsp. salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough out onto a slightly floured surface and knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (I used almost, but not quite 3 cups total). Divide dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes, roll out the larger ball onto your baking stone and cook for about 10 minutes in a 400 oven. Don't fully cook the crust, but just get it so its mostly cooked. I had to keep popping bubbles... so keep an eye on it! Pull it out of the oven and brush with oil and some seasonings (I used Italian seasoning, pizza seasoning, and basil.. I think some garlic would also be yummy, but I didn't use it!)Alright... Now for the filling. This really is one of those things that you can put in it whatever you want. I think some sauteed peppers would be delish (but Josh isn't a fan)... Mushrooms, onions, tomatoes... whatever you want!!This is what I did: Spread cottage cheese over crust (try to avoid as much of the "Juices" of the cottage cheese if you can... they just run out of the crust when its cooking..). Cover with chopped spinach (you can use fresh or frozen, just make sure that your frozen is pretty dry). I had my cooked frozen chicken, so I added that too, but this is usually made completely meatless... so if you don't have chicken, don't stress! Cover with cheeses... whatever cheeses you have. I had Parmesan, mozzarella, pepper jack and cheddar cheese and it was delish!
Roll out 2nd ball of dough into a thin crust (I find that it is easiest to brush my counter with a little bit of oil and roll my dough out onto that instead of a floured surface... I think it lifts up better!) Then place 2nd crust over the top and try to completely cover the toppings. I had to really stretch mine... and my pizza leaked all over.
Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven. I found that mine took closer to 15-18 minutes. Just watch it until it is starting to brown on top and feels like the crust is done.We loved this last night and I've decided to make it a more usual part of my dinner rotation. It is SO yummy! I know you're going to love it. My sister has 5 kids who all LOVE this, even though it has the spinach in it. So good! Try it... I know you'll love it!