Chicago-Style Stuffed Spinach Pizza

Submitted by Hey Jude

"This is my favorite pizza. It's a little work but, to me, it's worth every minute. Another recipe that I clipped years ago from the Chicago Trib. The prep time includes the dough rising time, though it may be less if you're using quick-rise yeast, which works fine with this recipe."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 1min
• Ingredients: 22
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• Crust

• 2 package active dry yeast
• 14.79 ml sugar
• 473.18 ml warm water
• 78.78 ml vegetable oil
• 946.36-1419.54 ml flour

• Sauce

• 29.58 ml olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 793.78 g can crushed tomatoes in puree
• 9.85 ml dried oregano
• 7.39 ml dried basil
• 1.23 ml salt
• 1.23 ml fresh ground black pepper

• Filling

• 3 (850.48 g) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained (squeeze water out with your hands)
• 591.47 ml shredded mozzarella cheese
• 226.79 g fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 118.29 ml freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 118.29 ml freshly grated romano cheese
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 29.58 ml olive oil
• 4.92 ml dried basil
• 1.23 ml salt
• 1.23 ml fresh ground black pepper

directions

1. Crust: dissolve yeast and sugar in water in a large bowl; let stand until bubbly; stir in oil then stir in 4 cups of the flour until smooth; add additional flour as needed to form a stiff dough.
2. Lightly flour the work surface; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 7 to 10 minutes; put into a greased bowl; turn to coat top then let rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Sauce: heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add garlic, cook 2 minutes; stir in tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and pepper; simmer until very thick, about 30 minutes or so.
4. Filling: mix spinach, mozzarella, mushrooms, parmesan, romano, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
5. Heat oven to 450°.
6. Punch down dough; let rest 10 minutes.
7. Lightly oil a 12-inch pizza pan that is at least 2" deep.
8. Roll two-thirds of dough into a 16-inch circle; let sides overhang the pan.
9. Put the spinach mixture into center of dough; smooth evenly over the surface.
10. Roll the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; place over the spinach filling then pinch the edges together and cut excess dough at the edges so that the bottom dough is level with the top crust.
11. Pour sauce over the dough to cover.
12. Bake until crust is golden, 20-40 minutes.
13. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into wedges for serving.
14. Ice cold beer or root beer is great with this pizza.

Reviews

[doreen.salina]

This is a great recipe and parallels my favorite take out pizza! I modified the filling to suit my tastes and you certainly can use it as a base for any ingredients. I used a non stick cheesecake pan and the pizza was even all the way around with me having to scrub! definitely recommend this recipe!

 

[Patti H.]

Delicious, the best things are worth working for. This pizza is definitely worth the work!

 

[Adam W.]

This is a great recipe and it does a good job at substituting for Edwardo's. I would like to add a couple tips for making this even closer to the original Edwardo's. I would recommend using bread flour for a crispier crust. The all purpose flour makes for a more spongy crust. I would recommend adding the note to put the pan on the bottom rack of the oven so the crust gets nice and crispy. I would recommend adding 1/3-1/2 cup of bread crumbs and replace the olive oil with butter into the dough for less of a yeast flavor. For the sauce, I would add a tablespoon of sugar to tone down the tanginess of the sauce. As an avid deep dish pizza eater, especially Edwardo's, I think these tips will help your pizza taste even better. My family certainly thinks so!

 

[Borderlands Cafe]

This recipe is very adaptable. It's definitely authentic Chicago Style Deep Dish. Just like I remember . . . and miss! Yum!

 

[beckyjacobs54]

There aren't enough stars for this pizza! It is so fantastic, and let me tell you it is filling! This is safely tucked in with lots of others in my favorites folder, as I plan to make this every chance I'm craving a "real" pizza! Thanks for sharing Jude! Becky