Spinach Artichoke Pizza Roll

As much as I'm trying to eat healthy and organic as possible, there are just some Friday nights when I want to dial up my favorite pizza joint and place an order. For these trying moments, I am experimenting with my own "fast food" recipes. This one came out pretty good, and health wise, it's not too bad!

Spinach Artichoke Pizza Roll
serves 6-8
(print)

1 lb. raw pizza dough
  (your recipe or store-made)
1/4 cup basil pesto
1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
6 basil leaves, torn
16 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves (rinsed/dried)
2 cups Bocca meatless crumbles
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella
2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning

Lightly grease a large cookie sheet (I use stoneware for cookies and pizza. If using a non-stick or dark pan, reduce oven temp. by 25 degrees).  Preheat oven to 375.

In a food processor or chopper, place the artichoke hearts, (drained) and the garlic. Pulse until finely mixed, then add to the basil pesto. Stir until blended and set aside.

Dust a clean, flat work surface with flour. Gently knead the pizza dough enough to make it pliable.

Work dough into a large rectangle, then place over the cookie sheet.

Evenly spread pesto mixture over entire surface.

Now cover with the spinach and torn basil leaves.

At this point, I chose to use Bocca crumbles. You can use turkey sausage or ground beef if you'd like, but in this recipe, these taste great!

Sprinkle Bocca crumbles over the spinach and basil.

Go ahead and top it off with the cheese.

Fold one half of the dough over the filling...

Then fold the other half over to make a long roll.

Fold under the ends, sprinkle the top with dried Italian herbs and a little grated cheese.  Cut three small slits on the top.

Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Cut the pizza roll into serving pieces, then place back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. This makes the slices nice and crispy, and ensures the dough inside is baked thoroughly.

Serve with a fresh salad, or even an antipasto.