I’m starting a difficult challenge tomorrow where I’m going to attempt to eat only $4.50 worth of food per day. I remember how hungry I was last year during the SNAP challenge, so I kind of wanted to have one last indulgent hurrah just before I started the challenge. What’s the best indulgent food, IMHO? Pizza, of course. Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pizza, to be specific.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
What’s In This Spinach Artichoke Pizza:
This isn’t just any pizza. This is a thick crust, crispy edged, pan pizza topped with a rich and creamy spinach sauce, chopped up artichoke hearts, and a final layer of melted mozzarella cheese. Think pizza topped with spinach artichoke dip, then baked to melty perfection.
What Kind of Pizza Dough to Use:
I decided to make this pizza with the no-knead pan crust, which needs to be started the night before, but you could always do this on a regular pizza crust, or even a super fast thin crust. The toppings on this pizza are so good that you can literally put it on any crust.
Do I Have to Use A Cast Iron Skillet?
No, that is only one option for this pizza. I used a 10-inch lodge skillet, but these toppings are enough for a 12-inch pan pizza, or even a 14-inch regular crust pizza. You can bake your pizza on a regular pizza pan, a pizza stone, or even on a square baking sheet.
Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pizza
Servings 3 (2 slices each)Ingredients
DOUGH
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.30)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1/8 tsp instant yeast ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 3/4-1 cup water ($0.00)
CREAMY SPINACH SAUCE
- 1/2 lb. frozen chopped spinach ($0.85)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.10)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 4 oz. cream cheese ($1.00)
- 1/2 cup milk ($0.19)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
PIZZA
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.02)
- 1/2 15oz. can artichoke hearts ($1.30)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.05)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella ($1.00)
Instructions
- Begin the dough the night before. In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Combine the olive oil and 3/4 cup water, then pour it into the bowl with the flour. Stir until a single (slightly wet and sticky) ball of dough forms with no dry flour left on the bottom of the bowl. Add one to two tablespoons more of water, if needed, to form a ball of dough. Loosely cover the dough and let it sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours.
- The next day let the spinach thaw and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Preheat the oven to 450ºF and pour 1 Tbsp of cooking oil into a 10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet. Spread the oil around the skillet, including up the side walls.
- To make the sauce, mince the garlic and add it to a small pot along with the butter. Sauté the butter and garlic for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the cream cheese, milk, and salt to the butter and garlic. Whisk and cook over medium-low heat until the cream cheese has melted into the milk and a thick sauce forms (3-5 minutes). Finally, stir the squeeze-dried spinach into the sauce, breaking up any clumps as you stir. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.
- Use the excess oil from the skillet to coat your hands, then scrape the fermented dough out of the bowl. Gently press and stretch the loose dough into the skillet until it evenly covers the bottom.
- Spread the creamy spinach sauce over the dough, covering from edge to edge. Drain the artichoke hearts, give them a rough chop, then sprinkle over the creamy spinach sauce. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired. Finally, top the pizza with the shredded mozzarella.
- Bake the pizza in the fully preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are sizzling and the top is golden brown. Remove the pizza from the oven and slide a butter knife around the edges to loosen any melted cheese. Either slide the whole pizza onto a cutting board or carefully slice the pizza in the pan. Cut into six slices and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Spinach Artichoke Pizza – Step by Step Photos
If you’re using the pan pizza dough that I used above, begin the night before. In a large bowl (or pot) stir together 2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp instant or “bread machine” yeast. Combine 1 Tbsp olive oil and 3/4 cup water, then pour it into the bowl with the flour. Stir until a sticky ball of dough forms with no dry flour left on the bottom of the bowl. If needed, add one to two more tablespoons of water to help it come together in one single piece of dough.
Loosely cover the dough (that’s why I like using a pot, I just set the lid on slightly crooked) and let it sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours. As it ferments it will spread out and get very bubbly. It will still be quite sticky compared to most bread doughs.
On the day you’re making the pizza, take 1/2 lb. of frozen spinach out of the freezer to thaw (thaw at room temp, or in the microwave for a faster thaw).
Once the spinach is thawed, squeeze as much moisture out as possible. I just grab a handful and squeeeeze until no more liquid comes out.
Next it’s time to make the sauce (and begin preheating the oven to 450 degrees). Mince one clove of garlic. Add it to a small pot along with 1 Tbsp of butter. Sauté the garlic in the butter over medium-low heat until the garlic is soft and fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).
Add 1/2 cup milk, 4 oz. cream cheese, and 1/4 tsp salt to the butter and garlic. Continue to cook over medium-low heat, while whisking, until the cream cheese has melted in and a thick sauce has formed.
Add the squeeze dried spinach to the cream sauce and stir until it’s combined (break up any clumps of spinach as you stir). Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside.
Spread 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a 10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet (including up the sides). Use the excess oil in the skillet to coat your hands, then scrape the dough out of its bowl. Carefully stretch and press the dough into the skillet until it evenly covers the bottom.
Spread the spinach cream sauce over the dough from edge to edge.
Drain one 15oz. can of artichoke hearts. Take half of the can and give them a rough chop (the other half can be frozen or used for a second pizza).
Sprinkle the chopped artichoke hearts over the pizza. If you like things a little spicy like me, sprinkle on a few red pepper flakes.
Finally, top with one cup of shredded mozzarella.
Bake the Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pizza for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are sizzling and the top is golden brown. Use a butter knife to loosen around the edges where cheese may have melted onto the skillet. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board or carefully slice it while in the pan.
Cut the Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pizza into six pieces and serve! This is pretty rich and filling, so two pieces go a lot further than you think. ;)
I posted earlier but don’t see my comment so am posting again. Can the dough rise longer then 18 hours? If I make dough at 8pm and want to bake next day at about 5pm that is about 21 hours. Is that too long?
Yes, the best thing to do is pop the dough in the refrigerator in the morning. That will slow down the last hours of rising so that it doesn’t over proof. :) It’s like pressing pause.
Can the dough sit a little longer then 18 hours? If I made dough at 8 pm and cooked at about 5 pm next day that’s about 21 hours. Too long?
How can I make the dough without it taking 12 hours? Can I use a standard pizza dough recipe?
Yes, here is my regular pizza dough recipe. Because it has a different texture and volume, the baking time in the cast iron pan may be slightly different.
Excellent recipe, added sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions like Kate suggested, used mâche instead of spinach, roasted artichokes in oil, and used greek yogurt mixed with an aioli instead of cream cheese, the result was delicious. Very simple recipe that makes every ingredient stand out. Well, it did cost more like 20$ than 5$ for mine but it was definitely worth it for 3 portions of fine pizza.
Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Yes, just sauté it down until it is wilted first.
This was a huge hit! My boyfriend adored this, maybe even more than the cilantro lime drumsticks I made last night. I used your regular pizza crust recipe (don’t have a skillet large enough), and caramelized some red onion to put on this too! Definitely one of my favorite pizza I’ve made!
As a busy grad student, who is also on a pretty slim budget, your recipes keep me on track and eating healthier. I recommend your blog to anyone I know who has an interest in cooking.
This was absolutely delicious! I used a different crust recipe and i cook the crust alone for 5 mins before i added rest of ingredients on top.
Oh and i used a regular pizza pan, not a cast iron skillet.
I made this tonight and followed the recipe exactly. Unfortunately the crust stuck terribly and took 15 minutes to scrape off. I used the oil in the pan and if anything I may have used a little too much. This is the first time I’ve used a cast iron skillet. I received it as a gift and it’s le creuset. I read the brochure that came with it and it had no special prep instructions other than washing with warm soapy water. I’m such a fan of your recipes and really want this one to work. Any ideas what might have gone wrong?
Hmm, the only thing I can think of is that because the pan was new it’s natural non-stick properties just were not that great yet. If you used a liberal amount of oil that should have created a really good barrier between the dough and skillet, so I’m not sure how it ended up sticking. :(
Look online how to season your skillet, you have to put work into them, and don’t use soap! I usually don’t bother just because I feel the work outweighs the rewards unless you’re cooking over a campfire.
The Creamy Spinach Artichoke pizza is absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I pre-baked the pizza crust for ten minutes using a cookie sheet. When I added the toppings, I baked the pizza for another ten minutes. The crust wasn’t soggy. I cut the pizza into twelve squares, so I can have left overs for the next several days. Now that I have some left over artichokes, spinach and mozzarella cheese, I can make the pizza again later. Thank you so much for the recipe, Beth!!! :-)
I’m interested in making the Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pizza for dinner sometime next week. I don’t have the cast iron skillet available in my kitchen, so is it possible that I can use a cookie sheet or a casserole pan to make the pizza? Thank you, Beth!! :-)
You can, but it won’t have quite the crispness on the outside that it gets against the hot cast iron. This dough is super wet/loose, too, so it might be difficult to shape. You can try working just a bit more flour into it to make it more manageable.
I bought a Lodge pan today specifically to try this out! I’m starting the dough tonight and will make the pizza tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it!
If you aren’t used to using cast iron you won’t know to season it. Remember the old cowboy cooks, never used a scrubber on their pans. To season you should wash it with soap and water and then make sure it’s dry, put some lard or shortening in it and put it in the oven at 500 degrees for about an hour, let it cool in the oven and then take it out and wipe it with a paper towel. Never use soap on cast iron it will take the seasoning away, the more you use it the better. I’ve used cast iron for over 20 years and would never use anything else. The longer you have it the better it cooks.
I should have said the only time you use soap on iron is the first washing. After that only hot water and a paper towel.
This is an excellent recipe and the first I’ve tried from this site! It was very forgiving… I completely missed using only 1/2 can of the artichokes and used the whole can but it still tastes great! I can’t wait to make it again!
tasty! wanted to share my foibles for those coming after: I used neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese, and it worked fine. Because I live in the land of bizarro grocery stores, the only spinach I could find was the 10oz cube and I put all of it in and it was too much! I ended up having to thin the sauce with a few tablespoons of cream. I also made it in a 9″ skillet (all I had) and so I only used 2/3 of the dough and toppings, and made a tiny “sheet pan pizza” with the other third. The skillet worked fine (baked 15 min), but I froze the tiny guy for later, so can’t say.
Can I use cottage cheese instead of the cream cheese?
No, unfortunately that won’t melt into the sauce the same way as the cream cheese.
This was a total HIT! My boyfriend and I loved it big time. I don’t have a cast iron skillet yet, so I just precooked the dough on a cookie sheet at about 425 F for 10 mins and it worked great. Definitely did not need the whole can of artichokes (gonna have to make some spin/artichoke dip!), and the creamy spinach sauce was THICK, but boy was it delicious. I also didn’t have milk so I used alfredo sauce instead…..sooooo good. My gas oven runs hot, so I only cooked this bad boy for about 15 mins and it came out perfect.
I made half with bacon chunks layered in and half with pepperonis and BOTH tasted awesome.
Seriously, this pizza is amazing. Make it. No cast iron required!
And it reheats super well!
I’m going to follow your cooking suggestion, which is a great idea. I’m going to make the pizza for dinner this week!! :-)