Vegetarian Spinach Stuffed Pizza

Name: Vegetarian Spinach Stuffed Pizza
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 package (15 oz) of pizza dough, store bought or homemade*; 1 Tablespoon olive oil to grease your pan; 2 (14.5 oz) cans of petite diced tomatoes, drained; 1 Tablespoon of olive oil for the sauce; 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon dried basil; 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated; 15 - 16 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly; 1 - 1 1/2 cups Italian blend shredded cheese

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This vegetarian spinach stuffed pizza is one of those recipes that feels like home to me. We grew up eating this stuffed pizza, and it's still one of my favorite comfort dinners.

If you've never had a true stuffed pizza before, it's different from deep dish pizza. This chicago-style pizza has two layers of crust with the fillings tucked inside and the sauce on top. It bakes up thick, cozy, and sliceable like a pie. And once you make it at home, it feels surprisingly doable.

Why You'll Love this Stuffed Pizza

The double crust seals in all that cheesy spinach filling
It's vegetarian but still hearty enough to satisfy everyone
It is customizable if you want to change out the fillings or toppings

Ingredients You'll Need

Pizza Dough - You can use store-bought dough or homemade.

Frozen Spinach, thawed and squeezed dry - You really want to squeeze out as much liquid as possible so your stuffed pizza doesn't get watery.

Italian Blend Shredded Cheese (about 2 cups) - I prefer an Italian blend over straight mozzarella cheese. It gives more flavor and melt. If you use mozzarella, be sure to get the whole milk kind for more flavor. If you want to use fresh mozzarella, I'd add it to the top of the pizza, not in the filling.

Parmesan Cheese - Adds that salty, nutty bite that makes the filling taste finished.

Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained well - Splurge on good quality tomatoes if you can for the best flavor. You can substitute pizza sauce or your favorite tomato sauce.

Olive Oil - Helps bring the tomato topping together and adds richness.

Dried Oregano or Italian Seasoning - adds that classic pizza flavor.

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper - for seasoning

Optional additions or favorite toppings:

Sautéed mushrooms
Black olives
Cooked Italian sausage
Pepperoni slices
Sautéed onions
Chopped artichoke hearts

How to Make Stuffed Pizza

Prepare your pizza dough if you plan on making it from scratch. Here is my go to homemade pizza dough recipe but cut it in half for just one of these stuffed pizzas. If you are buying premade dough, you only need one package. Usually the premade doughs are about 15 ounces.

Start by draining some canned petite diced tomatoes and frozen spinach. It's important to splurge a little on these tomatoes and get some that are really good quality.

Next, stretch out your dough in the bottom of a greased 9" cake pan or 9" springform pan. The pizza crust doesn't have to come all the way to the top of the pizza pan when you stretch it out. If you have stiff dough, let it come to room temperature before stretching it out using a rolling pin. If your dough is sticky, sprinkle a little bit of all purpose flour on it.

Then mix together your fillings. For the spinach add two cups of an Italian blend shredded cheese. We find the Italian blend has a lot more flavor than just using mozzarella. Add some olive oil, dried oregano and basil, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese to the tomatoes.

Spread the spinach mixture into the bottom of the pan and top with another layer of pizza dough. Trim off any extra dough. You don't want larger pieces of dough anywhere because it will make the pizza too bready. Fold and pinch the bottom and top layers of dough to seal tightly. Cut some holes into the top crust to let air escape while the pizza bakes.

Add the tomato mixture to the top crust and spread it all the way to the sides so the crust doesn't burn. The cooked tomatoes do stick to the pan and caramelize, so you'll have to use a knife around the edges of crust to get the pizza out.

Bake the pizza in a 475 degree oven on the bottom rack for 10 minutes then move to the top rack for an additional 20-25 minutes. It's important to finish the pizza on the top rack so the bottom doesn't burn and the top crust cooks all the way through.

Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing!

You could definitely add other ingredients to this recipe. Sautéed mushrooms and onions are delicious mixed in with the spinach. You could also try canned artichokes for a spinach and artichoke stuffed pizza. Let me know any good combinations you come up with in the comments!

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Storage & Reheating

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat, warm slices in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. The oven keeps the crust crisp. Microwave works in a pinch, but the crust softens.

You can also freeze baked slices individually. Wrap tightly and reheat straight from frozen in the oven.

Tested & Tried Tips

Squeeze the spinach like your life depends on it. Water is the enemy of stuffed pizza.
Don't skip sealing the edges well. That top crust needs to be fully attached.
Spread the tomato mixture all the way to the edge. I swear this trick changes everything.
If the top is browning too fast, loosely tent with foil.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between deep dish and stuffed pizza?

Stuffed pizza has two layers of crust with the fillings inside and sauce on top. Deep dish usually has one thicker crust with toppings layered directly inside.

Can I use store-bought dough?

Yes. One 15-ounce ball works perfectly.

Why does my stuffed pizza get soggy?

Usually it's from too much moisture in the spinach or tomatoes. Drain everything really well.

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