Artichoke Pizza on the Fly


On Saturday
, while I performed my weekly-ish refrigerator dump to clear the way for new groceries, I threw two heels of Parmesan and three nearly depleted bags of shredded mozzarella on to the counter. Who knows how or why, but as clear as day, a voice inside me announced: Artichoke Dip. Even though it was before noon. And even though I wasn’t entirely sure if I had a can of artichokes in the pantry. And then, after removing a Trader Joe’s pizza dough from the back of the second shelf, sitting next to the yogurt that expired back when I was still wearing shorts, another voice declared: Pizza. It’s still such a mystery how this stuff happens, but when there’s divine intervention of the food kind, I don’t ask questions, I just get to work.

You know the artichoke dip I’m talking about — the hot, cheesy one that I’d guess originated in the Midwest, and that has no doubt graced a Super Bowl party dip spread at some point in your life. When I asked Andy “What do you think of turning that melty, cheesy dip into a pizza?” He replied, of course, “Well, it’s not going to be bad.”

No, it wasn’t bad. It was freaking delicious, as those of you who followed me on instagram might’ve seen. I didn’t even measure the ingredients, I just kind of winged it, and it came together in about 20-25 minutes, which is good for a weekend lunch, but, like, crazy good for a weeknight dinner. And in this stretch of last-minute holiday madness, when you need to conserve your energy (both psychic and physical) for the major feasting days, I thought you’d appreciate the details.

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(Phoebe sure appreciated the details!)

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Cheesy Artichoke Pizza

There’s really no reason you shouldn’t stir in thawed frozen chopped spinach (squeezed completely dry) if you want to kick up the green quotient here.

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 16-ounce ball store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise (preferably Hellman’s or Duke’s)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Heat oven to 475°F. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil and garlic powder. Brush a thin coat of oil mixture onto a 17-by-12-inch rimmed cookie sheet. Drop dough in the middle of the sheet, and using your fingers, press out to the flatten the dough so it spreads as close as possible to all four corners. (As you can see, I lost patience and didn’t spread it very thin, which is fine, it only means that the crust will be more Sicilian-style and take a little bit more time to bake.) Brush crust with the remaining olive oil, paying particular attention to the perimeter.

In a medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Spread artichoke mixture into a thin layer over your crust  Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden. (Keep an eye on it.) If you want to get fancy, top with fresh chopped parsley.

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16 Comments

Bogdan

Do you know if this is safe to freeze? I often work late at my business, and this would be something great to pop in the microwave after making it on the weekend. Any tips for keeping it fresher when frozen?

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Jenny

I’m sure it would be fine, though I’ve never tried it. Just allow the pizza to cool, then cut into slices; freeze in freezer bags. I’d reheat wrapped in foil at 375-400 for 15-20.

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karen

I made this the night you posted it. It was great, and a welcome change from our normal routine. Thanks!

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ig viewer

It sounds so good! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I have never tried any recipe with artichoke, heard it’s very healthy. Gonna try this pizza soon.

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Abbie

This was divine. Added a bag of thawed and squeezed frozen spinach as well as a few shakes of red pepper flakes. You know it’s good when you hide the leftovers in the fridge and then eat them for lunch at 11:00am the next day…

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sallyt

I LOVED THIS! I served with with the kale caesar from Deb Perelman’s new cookbook – perfect combination.

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Betsy

I found this recipe, probably 8 months ago. Have made it at least once every couple of weeks, much to the chagrin of my boyfriend. He just looks at me and says, “again”. Ha! Ha! I love it sooo much. I hope you can help with the crust. I buy the Trader Joe’s crust. But it is so hard to roll it out, and not have it shrink. I’ve found letting it get to room temp helps. But any tricks you can offer? Thanks for this awesome recipe!

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Laura

Betsy- try rolling the dough out as much as you can, then letting it rest for 5-10 minutes and rolling it further. That generally helps when dough resists stretching. Good luck!

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Betsy

I just had to finally comment on this pizza. It is the bomb! Love it so much, you really have no idea. I would eat it at least weekly, but the other half isn’t an artichoke, or mayo fan. I know, what is wrong with him? I usually make it as the recipe states. But I have added a little garlic butter to the crust on a few occasions, and it was delicious. I also like to add green chilies as well. I mean, what is artichoke dip without green chilies. Thanks for the great recipe! I rave about it to anyone who will listen. They all come back to me and agree. So thank you!

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