Homemade Pizza with Blue Cheese & Spinach

This time last year my husband and I went on one of our last trips while in living Europe to Munich, Germany. For those of you who have never been to Munich, I will tell you it is a lovely city filled with friendly people, gigantic beer halls, and heavy food. I’m talking sausages, dumplings, and pretzels galore. Oh, and a great place to find inspiration for my new homemade pizza recipe.

Weibwurst (white sausage) and wiener schnitzel aren’t exactly my cup of tea but luckily we found the most amazing vegetarian restaurant, Prinz Myshkin. I loved it so much that we ate there not once but twice. I happily indulged in one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten in my life and had the revelation that spinach and blue cheese, minus any sort of sauce, is divine.

This homemade pizza uses spelt flour which makes a nutty and delicious dough that contains more fiber, protein, and B vitamins than wheat. However, using a healthy store-bought dough can be a great way to make this nutritious dish a time-friendly fare. Cooking the onions slowly enhances the sweetness but you can save some more time by using some raw sweet red onion slices instead.

Homemade Pizza with Blue Cheese & Spinach

Makes 1 large pizza or 6 small individual pizzas (serving size: 1/6 large pizza)

Spelt Pizza Dough:

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1.5 cups wholegrain spelt flour

1 teaspoon olive oil

Toppings:

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided into 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, & 1/2 teaspoon

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 cups chopped spinach

1 tablespoon pine nuts

4 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

Whisk together warm water, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Gradually stir the flour into the bowl with a wooden spoon until dough as formed. Knead dough for a couple of minutes, adding more flour if dough is too sticky. Place dough back in the bowl and drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, making sure the dough is completely covered in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

Heat a skillet over low-medium heat with 1 teaspoon olive oil and add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 45-60 minutes until onions start to caramelize and turn slightly golden.

Meanwhile, heat another skillet over medium heat with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and cook mushrooms for 6-8 minutes, until soft and tender. Remove mushrooms from skillet and set aside. Add 1/2 teaspoon olive oil to the same skillet and add garlic and spinach. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until spinach is wilted and set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface until you get desired thickness. (Spelt flour doesn’t stretch as well as wheat so it is easier to use the palm of your hand to flatten out the dough.) Lay rolled out dough on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or a pizza stone. Top with caramelized onions, mushrooms, spinach with garlic, pine nuts, and blue cheese. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until crust is cooked and cheese has melted.

Nutrition facts per serving (serving size: 1/6 of pizza): 197 calories, 6 g total fat, 408 mg sodium, 28 g total carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 4.5 g fiber, 8 g protein