Berghoff Veggie Pizza

"I like veggies on my pizza but I like them uniform in size, and cooked and mellow, not big and half raw. So I created this recipe for veggie lovers. It has a lot of veggies and even meat lovers will enjoy it. I prefer the ready-to-use spinach that comes in six- or ten-ounce bags. Spinach loses volume in cooking, so if you like a little spinach, use the six-ounce bag. If you prefer a lot of spinach, go for the ten-ounce bag, but cook that in two batches." Carlyn Berghoff  The berghoff cafe cookbook

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup sliced yellow onion, cut 1/8 inch thick
• 4 cups sliced red bell pepper, stemmed, cored, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rings (about 2 large peppers)
• 1 (6-ounce) bag ready-to-use baby spinach, or 1 (10-ounce) bag ready-to-use spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 (10 by 15-inch) Plain or Herb Homemade Pizza Crust
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Method Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a 12-inch nonstick sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until they are tender and translucent. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, until they are tender and soft. Add the spinach in two batches and cook, stirring, until the spinach wilts. Sprinkle with salt. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool while you roll out the crust. On a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll one pizza crust dough (half of the recipe) into a 10 by 15-inch rectangle. Ease and stretch to fit a 10 by 15 by 1-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix the remaining tablespoon of oil with the garlic. Scrape the mixture onto the crust and brush to cover. Spread the crust evenly with 1 cup of the cheese. Using tongs, lift the veggies from the sauté pan and distribute them evenly over the cheese. (Leave any juices in the pan.) Sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese and bake until the crust is cooked through and the cheese is golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Using a spatula, lift and slide the pizza onto a cutting board. Cut in half lengthwise and then each half into quarters widthwise, into eight rectangles. Serve immediately. Variations: Substitute Swiss or mild Cheddar cheese for the mozzarella. Reprinted with permission from ©The Berghoff Café Cookbook by Carlyn Berghoff and Nancy Ross Ryan, published by Andrews McMeel Publishing  click for book review more about pizza      more chef & cookbook bread recipes      more bread recipes

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