Vegetable Deep-Dish Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh spinach
• 1 (10 ounce) package mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• minced
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• pizza dough (for one 9-inch deep-dish pizza)
• 4 ounces sliced asiago cheese or 4 ounces provolone cheese
• 1 cup pizza sauce (homemade or commercial)
• 4 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Instructions

1. Wash the spinach well and discard tough stems; place wet spinach in a big pot; cover and bring to a simmer; cook until spinach is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Place cooked spinach in a strainer and press it with a wooden spoon to remove as much of the juice as possible; chop spinach on a board.
3. Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp cloth, then slice.
4. In a big skillet, cook mushrooms in oil over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are beginning to brown.
5. Add in garlic; cook 2 minutes; stir in the spinach and salt/pepper to taste; mix well and remove from heat; let cool.
6. Preheat oven to 400; oil a 9 x 1 1/2 inch layer cake pan or deep-dish pie pan.
7. With rolling pin, roll out dough to a 13 inch circle; arrange the dough in the prepared pan, patting it up the sides.
8. Place the slices of asiago in the bottom of the pan; spread a layer of vegetables over the cheese; make a layer of sauce.
9. Arrange the mozzarella slices on top; sprinkle with pecorino.
10. Bake about 40 minutes, until the crust is crisp and the filling is bubbling; sprinkle with basil and serve.