Gluten-Free Pizza Bianca with Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese, and Spinach

A while ago I read about Pillsbury coming out with a line of gluten-free doughs. As much as I love making my own doughs, I wanted to test out the doughs and see how they held up to my own. My first test was with their thin crust pizza dough. It’s hard to find a good gluten free thin crust pizza and I’ve yet to find a gluten-free one that is on par with gluten filled dough.

Straight out of the oven, the crust was great. Super thin and crunchy. I have never had a gluten-free pizza crust get this crispy before. After a few minutes, the quality of the crust went down hill. The pizza turned rock hard, almost to the point of being too hard to even eat. With the leftovers, it was probably the one time I was happy to zap the pizza in the microwave so the crust would soften up a bit. This was my first time using this dough, so it could be entirely my fault for rolling it out too thin. I will definitely buy the dough again in the future because the convenience is nice, but I might leave the dough a bit thicker next time and see how it fares.

The toppings on the pizza were absolutely delicious. This was more of a ‘clean out the fridge’ kind of meal than a planned recipe, but it made for a great lunch. The caramelized onions can be a time consuming addition to the pizza, but caramelized onions make everything better so I think they are worth the effort. I wanted to get a bit more color on the goat cheese, but as you can see the crust was already quite brown, so I decided not to risk burning it.

Disclaimer – I wasn’t compensated in any way for this post. I just like trying out new to me products and thought I would pass along my thoughts.

Gluten-Free Pizza Bianca with Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese, and Spinach

Ingredients

• 1 container of Pillsbury Gluten Free Pizza Dough (or pizza dough of choice)
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced into half moons
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 a log of goat cheese, cut into slices

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 Tablespoon of oil over medium-high and add onion when oil is heated. Stir to coat onion with oil and allow onion to cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, sprinkle in a bit of salt, stir again and allow onions to continue darkening and caramelizing stirring every 10 minutes or so, until desired color has been reached. Remove from oil.
2. Add spinach to remaining oil in the skillet and sauté until slightly wilted, then remove from skillet.
3. Heat oven to 400°F. Grease cookie sheet and hands. Press dough into 11-inch round on cookie sheet.
4. Sprinkle the minced garlic over the dough and lightly brush with half the olive oil. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edge is beginning to brown.
5. Sprinkle mozzarella over the crust, top with onions and spinach and goat cheese slices.
6. Return crust to the oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with basil leaves. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Zucchini Pizzas

These pizzas have been floating around Pinterest and other sites for a while now. I’ve been wanting to make them since I first saw them, but I couldn’t find round zucchini. Well my luck changed at last Sunday’s farmers’ market. I found round zucchini.

If you could describe a vegetable as ‘cute’, I would definitely describe these round zucchini as cute. If you can’t find round zucchini, fear not! Regular zucchini will work just as well, just make sure to cut it lengthwise or at a slight angle to make sure you have a lot of flat surface to work with. You could also slice regular zucchini in ‘coins’, which would give you perfect bite sized pizzas.

I was able to get six ‘slices’ of pizza out of one zucchini. I made three different kinds of pizza; olive, onion and everything which was olive and onion with a slice of salami. Onion was definitely my favorite.

Zucchini Pizzas

• 1 round zucchini, sliced
• 1 cup pasta sauce of choice (I used a delicious arrabiata sauce)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano
• shredded cheese
• toppings of choice (I used olives, onions and salami)

1. Heat broiler to high. Make sure that there is an oven rack about 5 inches away from the broiler.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil. Place sliced zucchini on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Mix together pasta sauce, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Top each slice of zucchini with a heaping spoonful of sauce. Add more sauce as needed to completely cover each slice.
4. Top zucchini with a sprinkling of shredded cheese and toppings of your choice.
5. Place baking sheet in the oven and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Gluten Free Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza

I wanted to make this pizza the second I saw it. I finally got around to it this past week. My brussels sprout obsession has been well documented. Put brussels sprouts and pizza together and I was easily sold. If you are a brussels sprout skeptic, I swear this recipe could make you a convert! If you have already seen the light and love b. sprouts as much as I do, I know this will quickly become a new favorite. I’m currently debating with myself if making it again already is too soon? I don’t think it is.

I will definitely make this again. I thought that the garlic and onion in the dough made the crust extra tasty and really added to the overall flavor of the pizza. You could easily just mix garlic and onion powder into any pizza dough recipe. I also liked how the brussels sprouts and onions got coated with a bit of a caramelized balsamic glaze. Definitely make sure you toss them in balsamic and olive oil! It makes all the difference. I would also probably leave the bacon off. Bacon just does nothing for me. I don’t understand the obsession at all. Plus, the addition of blue cheese definitely gave the pizza a flavorful, slightly salty bite that could easily replace the need for bacon on it at all.

Gluten Free Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza (adapted from Shutterbean)

• homemade or store-bought pizza dough (I used Chebe’s Garlic-Onion Breadstick Mix)
• 3 pieces bacon, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1 cup of shredded Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced.
• 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided, plus more for baking sheet
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, divided
• red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with a cooling rack placed inside, cook bacon in oven for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven, set aside on a paper towel to drain.
3. Oil a 13×18 inch rimmed baking sheet liberally with good extra virgin olive oil. Place  the dough on the pan and stretch and press it out to the edges. If it springs back wait a few minutes and then proceed. The dough is very thin. If it tears, piece it back together.
4. In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar. Mix together with salt and pepper and brush on pizza dough. In the same bowl add the remaining tablespoons of olive oil and balsamic and toss brussels sprouts and onions in it to coat.
5. Evenly top the pizza dough with mozzarella, bacon, garlic, red onion, and Brussels sprouts. Add a heavy pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired. Put the pizza in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes. To serve, top with crumbled blue cheese and serve!

Mango Chutney, Prosciutto and Paneer Pizza (Gluten Free)

So, a little while ago, I had quite the conundrum to deal with. I had a craving for Indian food, yet I also wanted pizza. The two cuisines seem to have little common ground, but luckily I found a solution, a very delicious solution.

Now, this pizza has a lot going on. I initially thought that the flavors would be too much and not go to together at all, but somehow they all work. The tomato paste and mango chutney, which were the two ingredients I had the most hesitation about, were absolutely great together. I also added some caramelized onions to the pizza, just because caramelized onions make everything better.

Now, let’s talk gluten. If gluten is not an issue for you, go to Trader Joe’s and buy some of their frozen naan and you are all ready to make your pizza (I recommend the garlic naan). You could probably also buy any naan, frozen or fresh, or even some large pitas to substitute. Basically any thick flat bread or pizza crust will work. If gluten is an issue, this recipe might be a little more work. I made pizza dough from Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Crust mix. It’s not really too much work, just some mixing, sitting, rising, waiting, pre-baking, waiting but it’s worth it. I know there are pre-made gluten free crusts available, but I was just using what I had in the pantry. When I had the gluten free pizza crust ready for it’s pre-bake, I sliced up some garlic cloves, sprinkled them on the crusts, brushed with a bit of melted butter and put them in the oven. This was my attempt at getting the gluten free pizza crust to be a little more like garlic naan. It worked perfectly.

Mango Chutney, Prosciutto and Paneer Pizza (From Food Network)

• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons sweet mango chutney
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled paneer cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 large green onion, finely chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• A glug extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 frozen naan bread (recommended: Trader Joe’s) or gluten free pizza crust
• 4 slices prosciutto, torn

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the tomato paste, mango chutney, minced garlic, and water over medium heat, until well combined. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes and then remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the mozzarella, paneer, red pepper flakes, cilantro, green onion, ground cumin and extra-virgin olive oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Add more red pepper flakes if you like it spicy!
4. Arrange the naans on a cookie sheet. Divide the tomato-mango chutney sauce evenly among the naans, spreading to coat the top. Evenly divide the cheese mixture among the naans. Throw in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisped around the edges.
5. Meanwhile, tear the prosciutto into small pieces. When the pizzas are ready, top them with the fresh prosciutto. Cut each naan into 4, and serve!

Gluten-Free Southwestern Pizza

Most of today was spent preparing stuff for tomorrow’s super amazing barbecue (Brace yourselves. That’s all I have to say.) and watching reruns of 48 Hours Mystery. I was clearly super busy. So, tonight for dinner I wanted to make something fast and simple. Earlier in the week I was perusing The Kitchn and as always their Weeknight Recipe section had exactly the type of thing I was looking for.

This recipe for the Southwestern Pizza won out in the end. I reminded me a lot of the Tostada Pizza from CPK. The black bean mixture of beans, chili powder, cumin, olive oil and chipotle (I added some garlic powder for good measure) was good enough to eat alone. I definitely foresee these beans being involved in several meals in my future. It’s a good thing. I made the pizza with a gluten-free crust so I could share left overs, and that was a good plan because after a slice and a bit I was stuffed. Every bite was absolutely delicious. I also added some Chipotle Tabasco sauce to my slices for a little extra flava. Yum.

 

The gluten-free crust, wasn’t amazing, but it turned out to be a really good balance to the heavy toppings. Next time I would definitely add more garlic powder and probably a pinch of salt and pepper to the mix to give it a little more taste.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

• 1.5 Cups Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free Baking Mix
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 Cup water
• 1/3 Cup oil
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Mix all ingredients together and place on prepared cookie sheet or pizza stone. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with toppings of choice. Bake as usual.

Jersday Polenta Pizza

Jersday is probably my favorite day of the week. In honor of my favorite day, I decided to make something vaguely Italian, just like the cast of Jersey Shore.

Tonight pizza sounded good, but the whole yeast, dough rising thing just seemed like too much work. I thought that polenta might make a comparable crust, so we headed to the kitchen to experiment.

Polenta Pizza Crust

• 1 cup Polenta/Cornmeal
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup parmesan (the grated/powdery kind, I used the parm pecarino blend from Trader Joe’s)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I prepared it like normal polenta. Boil salted water on medium high heat, stir in polenta, stir constantly so there are no lumps, let ‘cook’ on low for about 15 minutes, removed from heat, stir in parm. At this point I split the polenta between 2 parchment lined pie dishes and baked in the oven for 12 minutes. I then removed the crust from the pie dishes, keeping it on the parchment and put them on cookie sheets. I put the cookie sheets back in the oven for about another 15 minutes in the hopes of ‘crisping’ up the crust

Once the crust was a little harder, I added the toppings. Tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and some kalamatas went on one and the other one had caramelized onions, gorgonzola, toasted hazelnuts and sliced pears.

For some reason the tomato based one held together a bit better. Over all the crust was pretty good, but nothing super special. I think this recipe is going to require a little more tweaking to get the consistency I want.

Does anyone have any polenta crust recipes or any suggestions?