Living in Hoboken, New Jersey, you learn some useful lessons. The most recent one I learned was to avoid sidewalks in the downtown area since they are constantly clogged with photo-frenzy “Cake Boss” fans. Hoboken is also where I first learned what The Jersey Breakfast was. But more than anything else, I learned the importance of fresh mutz (the “u” is pronounced like “uh”). In fact, if you search Google for “fresh mutz” you’ll find that every result has the word “Hoboken” in it – that’s how much we love it. Fresh mutz is a way of life over here and once you’ve had pizza with it, you’ll never turn back.
2 whole wheat pizza crusts (Boboli or homemade)
1 jar pizza sauce (Trader Joe’s brand is great)
1 lb lean ground beef
30 slices turkey pepperoni
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
6 oz baby spinach
4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thin*
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can black olives, sliced
garlic powder
fresh or dried basil
fresh or dried oregano
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
*Note: To slice the fresh mozzarella extra thin, place it in the freezer for 45-60 minutes. Then remove it and and slice it thinly using a sharp knife or cheese slicer. Store the rest of the ball in the freezer for future pizza.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat some olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and add the mushrooms, a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until the mushrooms are tender and cooked, then remove from heat and set aside. Return the pan to heat, add a bit of olive oil and saute the garlic for 1 minute, then add the spinach and cook until completely wilted. Set spinach aside.
2. Return the skillet to the burner and add the beef, breaking up into small chunks as it cooks. Also sprinkle salt and pepper on top while it cooks. Once the beef is done, drain and pat dry, then set aside.
3. Place the pizza crusts on two separate baking trays and spread the sauce on top. Sprinkle garlic powder, basil and oregano on top. Next, add the meat, mushrooms, spinach and black olives. Then layer the cheese on top – don’t worry about covering every square inch, less is more. Sprinkle kosher salt on top of the cheese (fresh mutz is usually unsalted), then distribute the pepperoni on top. Drizzle the pizzas with olive oil, then bake for 10 minutes, switching the trays after 5 minutes.
Additional Info:
All things considered, this is a very healthy pizza. The combination of a whole-grain crust, very lean proteins and just a bit of full fat cheese (only 2oz per pie!) along with some veggies make this pizza a winner. You won’t find a more unhealthy-looking healthy pizza!