five for friday: a greener pizza…

who doesn’t love pizza?

they’re versatile, easy and (can be) healthy.

even my pickier than picky toddler likes pizza!

i found this spinach, sausage and provolone recipe in real simple sometime last year. it’s five easy-to-prepare ingredients and five easy steps. other than a traditional margarita pizza, this is a solid favorite and a frequent selection from the recipe stash.

but tonight for j’s birthday, i made a healthier, greener version of the recipe and it was THE BEST EVER (birthday boy even agreed).

so I had to share…the recipe that is, because there weren’t any leftovers!!

Ingredients

• 1 pound pizza dough
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 links Italian sausage, casings removed (about 3/4 pound)
• 1 small bunch spinach, thick stems removed (about 3 cups)
• 1/3 pound thinly sliced provolone

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425º F. Shape the dough into a 14-inch circle on a baking sheet.
2. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of the oil and bake until puffed and golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Add the spinach to skillet, tossing for 1-2 minutes.
4. Top the partially cooked dough with the sausage mixture, cover with sliced provolone.
5. Bake until the crust is crisp and the cheese has melted, 12 to 15 minutes.

And here’s how I changed it up…

• i called our local pizza joint and asked if they’d sell me a dough ball. they are prepared fresh daily and had to be better than my usual store-bought, packaged and ready to bake variety. they obliged, said it would be $0.50 and then didn’t even charge me when I picked it up…now that is green $ friendly.
• the italian pork sausage was from burgundy pasture farms. the pigs are pasture-raised assuring them a variety of natural food sources, plenty of room, sunshine and fresh water, no antibiotics, hormones, or chemicals of any kind, and pastures free of commercial herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers.
• finally, our greens were locally harvested just last week from the stuteville’s (josh’s aunt and uncle) organic garden. the spinach flavor was so intense (in a good way), even more so than the organic girl greens also used in the recipe.

chicago-style? just ok.

new york-style? delicious.

my-style? BEST EVER!!