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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Spinach Pizza with Cream Sauce



One of my favorite pizzas is the Spinach Alfredo Pizza from Papa John's Pizza. Since I've limited my take-out eating to better myself and my wallet, I've been craving for foods that I used to order constantly. Pizza being one of them.

Rather than using a tomato sauce as the base I decided on using a cream sauce with garlic and herbs instead. Topped it with some fresh spinach. When I piled it, it looked like it was a lot. I totally forgot that leafy greens tend to wilt slightly after cooking. I had some baby eggplants left as well so I added that into the mix, which is optional. Then some shredded chicken. Also optional. Then topped it off with some sliced tomato and shredded cheese. This was way better than the Papa John's version.



Spinach Pizza with Cream Sauce

1 pre-made pizza dough
1/2 lb fresh spinach
1 large firm tomato (sliced or diced)
1/2 c grated cheese (your choice)

Cream Sauce:
1 5oz can evaporated milk
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp Flour
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 large garlic clove (minced)
salt to season
pepper to season

optional:
3 chicken tenders
8 baby eggplants (sliced)

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For the chicken: season with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat some oil in a pan and pan fry the tenders for 2-3min per side. Remove from the pan and let it sit for 5 min, then shred into pieces.

For the eggplant: Toss the in some olive oil and roast them for 15-20 in a 400˚F oven.
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Preheat the 400˚F

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter. Add in the flour and stir together until it is like a dough. Add in the milk slowly. Heat and stir occasionally until the milk slightly thickens. Add in the garlic, basil, parsley. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool.

Lay the pizza dough flat on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread the cream sauce over the dough leaving 1-inch around the edge untouched for the crust. Then place over the spinach. (It may look a lot, but they will wilt once they are cooked.) Add in the optional chicken and baby eggplant. Then top with the tomatoes and cheese.

Bake for 15-20min.

32 comments:

Parita said...

Love the cream sauce, heavenly!!

Christo Gonzales said...

you did it to me again - I am now officially craving pizza at 8:15 in the morning....

Mary Bergfeld said...

I love your recipe for cream sauce. The pizza looks terrific and the spinach makes it healthy...right?

Creative Classroom Core said...

That cream sauce looks sooooo good!

Dewi said...

Yum, yum Jenn! Your pizza with cream sauce sounds really scrumptious!

Pam said...

Beautiful and delicious pizza. The cream sauce sounds really good.

Anonymous said...

In the uk u cant buy premade pizza dough, which sucks. I miss all those lovely cans of pillsbury goodness, especially the cinnamon rolls. I have been a bit lazy to try making pizza dough from scratch, but one of these days, I'm going to do it.

theUngourmet said...

Mmm! This looks ten million times better than the pizza I tried to cook on my grill the other day!

Love the spinach and cream sauce combo!

Heather S-G said...

This is my kinda pizza! It looks absolutely amazing...am I just dreaming or do I see roasted garlic cloves on there also? I pile 'em on mine...so maybe it's a trick of the eyes. Either way...drool!!!

Pooja said...

Lovely Pizza! Loved the cream sauce!

Jenn said...

Parita: Thanks.

doggy: Pizza for breakfast is good too. =)

Mary: Spinach definitely makes it healthy

finsmom, Elra, Pam: Thanks.

Heavenly Housewife: you can use the premade crust. Not sure if the turnout will be the same.

The ungourmet: You grilled pizza looked good too.

girlichef: No roasted garlic in this. But you can add to it, if you wanted. =)

Pooja: Thanks.

Anonymous said...

WOW! I love Spinach and this looks amazing!!

Teanna said...

Oh man, cream sauce on pizza... my head is spinning.. in the best way possible! What a great idea!

Bob said...

Looks fantastic, I love cream sauce on pizza. Just last night I had one with a ranch sauce. Heh. I've never seen a cream sauce made with evaporated milk, I bet that's awesome.

Diana said...

Oh Papa John's -- the reason I was 20 lbs heavier in college.

Well, that and all the beer. ;)

Jenn said...

Ruth: Thanks.

Teanna: you had me worried there for a second. =)

Bob: Ooo...Ranch sauce. I like the idea of that. Evaprated milk can be a good substitute for cream.

Diana: Same here. LOL.

Reeni said...

This beats any take-out! It looks so delicious! Love the toppings and the cream sauce!

Nutmeg Nanny said...

This pizza looks so super delicious and summery. I love the all the veggies and the cream sauce looks divine.

chow and chatter said...

great pizza Jenn

Anonymous said...

I love the cream sauce and fresh tomatoes on top! Excellent!

Anonymous said...

I love how you took something you liked then made it into something completely awesome.

Eric

Jenn said...

Reeni: I don't I'll ever order take out anymore. Unless I feel lazy. LOL

Nutmeg Nanny, chow and chatter, 5 Star, Eric: Thanks

pigpigscorner said...

I'm craving for some pizza now! Home-made is always better!

Miranda said...

Hi Jenn,
Thank you for stopping by. I always enjoy your site. You have amazing recipes. This pizza looks amazing. I love mushrooms, but my hubby hates it. :(

Jenn said...

pigpigscorner: Homemade all the way!!

Miranda: Mushrooms are awesome. Your hubby is missing out!

lisaiscooking said...

I love all the veggie toppings, and the cream sauce sounds great!

Jenn said...

lisaiscooking: Thanks.

Jen @ MyKitchenAddiction.com said...

Catching up on blog posts from the past week is dangerous... I know I need to recover from all of the rich foods I ate on vacation - but this pizza with cream sauce looks amazing. Saving this recipe for later!

Jenn said...

Jen: I know what you mean. =)

Pooja said...

i like the addition of spinach and eggplants..lots of veggies.. looks tempting ..lovely will try these next time !

Jenn said...

Pooja: I love veggie pizzas as well as meat ones. i like to mix it up a lot.

www.vizcaya-3d.com said...

I suppose every person must read it.

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