Flatbread Pizzas with Roasted Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Spinach

These days I'm on a mission to use up the things I've thrown in my freezer. We had three bags with one or two flatbreads in them leftover from my recent love of the grilled chicken Caesar flatbreads. I saw a recipe for 5-Minute Flatbread Pizza with Prosciutto, Arugula, and Mozzarella in my blog reader and decided to combine that recipe with the always-delectable Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella and Spinach Sandwich.

The result was positively delicious. I love revisiting favorite recipes but it's also great to reinvent them to use up ingredients. When I make the grilled chicken caesar flatbreads I spread butter on the bread before I grill it. Everything is better with butter and it imparts such an amazing flavor that I decided to do that with these. The roasted tomatoes are always delicious and you can't go wrong with melty fresh mozzarella.

We really enjoyed these and I can't wait to make them again.

Flatbread Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Spinach
Inspired by Serious Eats and Kate's Recipe Box

1lb plum tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Thyme sprigs, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup baby spinach, coarsely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Spreadable butter
4 flatbread pita rounds, whole wheat or regular
8oz fresh mozzarella, sliced

Heat oven to 400F degrees. Lay tomatoes, cut side up, in a roasting pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Roast for 30-45 minutes. Allow the tomatoes to cool and then smash with a potato masher. If you don't like tomato skins, remove the skin after smashing.

In a small mixing bowl, dress the spinach with some extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat a 12-inch skillet or a grill pan over medium heat until hot. Spread some butter over both sides of each flatbread. Add the flatbread to the skillet or grill pan and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and then immediately top with the cheese and tomatoes. Cover and cook until the cheese starts to melt.

Slide the pita out, place on a serving plate and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batches. Top pizzas with the dressed spinach and cut into wedges. Serve immediately.

Pepperoni Pizza Sliders

If you've been reading this blog for awhile you know we usually make homemade pizza on Fridays. Now that the temps are climbing I'm less interested in heating the oven to 550 degrees but I still had a hankering for pizza flavors. Enter these Pepperoni Pizza Sliders, a knock-off of the Sweet Ham and Swiss sliders that have been so popular in the blogosphere lately.

These did not disappoint. They were incredibly easy to assemble and tasted great. Between the three of us we ate all 12 sliders. Whoops! Next time I'll serve them with a Caesar or antipasto salad on the side to make more of a complete meal.

Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
As seen on What's Cookin, Chicago?

For the sandwiches:
12 slider rolls
3/4 cup pizza sauce
24-36 slices pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

For the topping:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Separate each roll, then spread a little pizza sauce onto both halves. Place 2-3 slices of pepperoni and a large piece of shredded cheese on each roll. Close rolls and place them close together in a 9x13" baking dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Brush evenly over all of the sandwiches, just enough to cover the tops; let sandwiches sit for 10 minutes to absorb the butter and seasonings. At this point, sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead, covered and kept in the fridge ready to bake.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 5 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

Pull-Apart Pizza Bites

A few weeks ago Baby Girl and I met my mom and aunt for dinner. We went to a pizza place and since it was a Thursday I figured I'd make something other than pizza for dinner on Friday. Then Maeghan posted these Pull-Apart Pizza Bites and I figured they were different enough from pizza to warrant making them the day after a pizza dinner.

I served these with Caesar salad to make it more of a dinner. We really enjoyed these - simple to make and great flavor, especially dipped in pizza sauce. Baby Girl loved that it was even easier to eat than pizza. These would also make a great appetizer for a party.

Pull-Apart Pizza Bites
As seen on The Way to His Heart

1 ball pizza dough
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 24 pieces)
Sliced pepperoni

For Topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning or pizza spices
Grated Parmesan cheese
Serve with pizza sauce

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.

Roll the dough out into a thin round, as if you're making pizza. Place one mozzarella cube and two pieces of pepperoni about an inch apart around the dough. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough around the mozzarella and pepperoni. Alternatively, divide the dough into 24 equal sized pieces, approximately 1 oz. each. Place one mozzarella cube and one to two pieces of pepperoni slices on each piece of dough. Pull the sides of the dough up around the cheese and pepperoni. Pinch to seal and place the dough, seam side down in the pie plate.

Repeat with the remaining dough and place the pieces of dough in a circular pattern around the pie plate.

Lightly brush olive oil over the top of the dough balls. Lightly sprinkle the Italian seasoning or pizza spices and Parmesan cheese over the top of the dough balls.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with pizza sauce for dipping.

Pizza Friday: Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula

In the winter we usually have homemade pizza on Fridays. I buy the dough from a local Italian bakery and Baby Girl helps me roll it out and add the toppings. We usually stick with simple toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage or black olives (or some combination). It's a lot of fun to involve Baby Girl in the process - she always wants to sample everything and her favorite part is pressing down the dough to get out the air bubbles.

I had some fig jam leftover from the Baguette with Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Fig Jam I made for New Year's Eve and no idea how to use it. Then I stumbled upon this recipe for Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula that combined a lot of my favorite ingredients into one pizza.

Baby Girl loved the fig jam straight from the jar but wasn't a fan of the finished pizza. I was also unsure of how I felt about it, although SP loved it. The fig jam is super sweet, the prosciutto is gamey and the arugula tended to fall off as I was eating it. I think this would be good for a party where you're eating smaller pieces - a little goes a long way.

Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula
Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman)

1 ball pizza dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
6 to 8 tablespoons fig spread or jam
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
Freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 bunch washed and rinsed arugula
1 cup shaved Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, with a pizza stone on the oven rack in the lowest position.

Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread the fig spread over the surface of the dough. Lay the slices of mozzarella on top of the jam. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake the pizza until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and immediately drape the prosciutto slices over the hot pizza. Sprinkle generously with the arugula and Parmesan shavings. Cut into wedges or squares and serve immediately.

Greek Pita Pizzas

SP was out of town for work last week, so I took the opportunity to make some things for dinner that I know he wouldn't enjoy. I don't know why, but he isn't a big fan of Greek food. He'll tolerate it every once in awhile, but I knew these Greek Pita Pizzas wouldn't go over well if I made them for him. I, on the other hand, loved them. They combined a few of my favorite things - hummus, tzatziki, olives, feta, tomatoes and tangy Greek-style dressing - into an easy, healthy dinner.

I actually made these a few times while he was away but the first time (the one I photographed) I opted to leave off the mozzarella cheese simply because I didn't feel like opening the package. It was still delicious. Later in the week I ate it for lunch and also served this with one of my new favorite dishes, Mediterranean Couscous for dinner. I couldn't get enough of the flavors and was happy to use up the pocketless pita making these over and over again. Simple, tasty and healthy to boot.

Greek Pita Pizzas
As Seen on Pink Parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (8-inch) pita breads
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/2 cup hummus
1/2 shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Tzatziki sauce, for serving

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Brush 1 tablespoon of the oil over both sides of pitas. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake about 5 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining oil, vinegar, and oregano in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Toss with the olives, onions, and tomatoes.

Spread 2 tablespoons of the hummus over each pita, leaving a small border. Divide the vegetable mixture evenly over the cheese, then sprinkle with the feta. Top each pita with 2 tablespoons of mozzarella.

Cook until the vegetables are softened and the cheese has melted, 6 to 8 minutes. Drizzle with tzatziki sauce and serve.

Pizza Friday - White Pizza with Spinach and Sausage

I don't usually make white pizza, but after my friend Melissa raved about a white pizza she made with roasted garlic, spinach and sausage I decided to try it.


I had some sausage and caramelized onions in the freezer from the last time I made sausage pizza. Melissa uses fresh spinach on her pizza, but I like the ease of frozen.

Roasted Garlic Paste
Melissa's Recipe

1-2 heads garlic, papery skins removed
Olive oil
Dried oregano, thyme, basil, red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the tops off the heads of garlic, drizzle with oil and wrap in tinfoil. Bake for 30-35 minutes, then let cool for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze the garlic out and mash it up (you can put it through a ricer into a bowl), add a little oil to get it spreadable, then add pinches of dried oregano, thyme, basil, salt, red pepper flake, pepper. You can use any or all of those as you see fit. Just a big pinch of this, pinch of that, a dash more oil if you need it. For sure, at least put the oregano in there.

Pizza Friday - BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Pizza

After the success of the Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas I knew this BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Pizza would be amazing since it utilizes the same ingredients with a different delivery method.


I thought I put a lot of pineapple on my half of the pizza (SP didn't want any on his half) but I ended up putting even more on the individual slices. I think we need to find a tangier BBQ sauce, or doctor our favorite brand, because there wasn't enough contrast between the sweetness of the pineapple and the tang of the BBQ sauce. Even so, this was a winner in my book and I can't wait to make it again.

BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Pizza
Ever So Slightly Modified from Sing For Your Supper

1 ball pizza dough, rolled to preferred thickness
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 chicken breasts, fully cooked and shredded
1/2 cup BBQ sauce, plus more for brushing on the crust
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1 small can diced pineapple
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Place pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 550 degrees, or as high as your oven will go. Toss the cooked, shredded chicken breasts with the BBQ sauce. Set aside.

Lay dough on parchment paper or a pizza peel. Brush the pizza crust with a thin layer of BBQ sauce, then spread on the ranch dressing. Top with the cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese, then the chicken and pineapple.

Place pizza on pizza stone and bake for about 15 minutes, until all the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. Top with the chopped cilantro.

Pizza Friday - Sausage and Caramelized Onion

I love Pizza Fridays. SP is a sausage fanatic so this week's pizza had sausage and caramelized onions on it.

Pizza Friday - Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Of all the pizzas I make, Buffalo Chicken Pizza is SP's favorite. Now that I've reinstated Pizza Fridays this was his first choice when I asked him what kind of pizza he wanted.


I recently stocked up on frozen dough from my favorite Italian bakery (one of these days I need to try making my own dough), and I'm so glad I did. I missed their perfect crust. I was particularly proud of this pizza, especially its roundness and thin, crispy crust.