Artichoke and spinach make a lovely and super healthy topping in this pizza recipe inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean. Crunchy and tender, cheesy and tangy, tasty and scrumptious, artichoke spinach and lemon pizza make a fabulous vegetarian dish and simple gourmet recipe. You can use premade pizza dough, which can be bought in the supermarket or make your own pizza dough at home, to make this recipe. Roll out the dough and top it with tomato puree, cooked spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, and mozzarella cheese and bake in a 450 degree F oven for a light and delightful meal or party treat.

As much as possible use fresh artichoke hearts when making this home cooking recipe to create a more flavorful dish. You can also use canned artichokes that are soaked in brine and have already been cooked but drain it well and rinse before topping onto the pizza since it can be salty. When using fresh artichokes, rinse it well under cold water. Use a soft kitchen brush to gently remove the light film covering the artichokes (which can be bitter) and get rid of any dirt in the process. With a sharp serrated knife, cut an inch off the top of the artichoke and trim the stem about half an inch. Pull off any excess leaves and outside layers to reveal the tender heart inside.

The artichokes take about 30 minutes to cook if it is medium-sized while larger artichokes can take about 45 minutes to cook in simmering water. In this case, you need to cook the raw artichokes first before you use them as a topping for the pizza. You can either boil or steam the artichokes whole, or cut them into bite-sized pieces and sauté them in olive oil. Cook the spinach and the artichokes separately as the spinach takes very quick to cook.

Ingredients
1 pizza dough or pre made pizza
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
200 grams soft spinach leaves
1 cup fresh tomato puree
6 artichoke hearts
200 Gms grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup lemon zest

Use readymade pizza base or prepare pizza base with pizza dough.

In a saucepan heat olive oil on high flame. Add spinach and cook for about couple of minutes. Keep aside.

Boil or steam the artichokes until tender and chop into smaller pieces.

Lace the pizza pans with oil. On the pizza base first spread tomato puree and evenly spread spinach, artichoke and cheese on it.

Bake it for about 10 to 12 minutes in a 450 degree F oven or until it becomes golden and crispy.

At the time of serving sprinkle fresh grated lemon zest.