Pizza Creation: Moniker Needed

I was desperate for an easy dinner tonight...going back to work has really but a damper on my dinner creations! Eager to find an easy recipe that didn't involve using packaged, processed foods as ingredients, I began with a simple Google search. Much to my chagrin, "easy dinner recipe" apparently does not equate to any recipe that does not use processed ingredients. Sigh. Fine, then I will take one of these recipes and make it easy and wholesome. Hmph!

I came across this recipe for something called bubble pizza. That sounds gross to me, but the picture piqued my interest enough to click. Now, this was something I could alter! Of course...pizza. But I wasn't going to let that bother me. The concept is what I was drawn to, the recipe called for a can of biscuits that you cut up and line a 9x13 baking dish with (your pizza dough), then layering jarred marinara sauce, browned meat and cheese on top. I can't remember the last time I bought canned biscuits or jarred marinara, so I decided to pilfer the concept and make it my own...I still don't know what to call it.

I made whole wheat biscuits (literally they take 10 minutes, maybe less) with 1/2 white flour and 1/2 white whole wheat flour (I finally found white whole wheat flour here in the City at an affordable price!). If you don't know, white whole wheat flour is still whole wheat flour, but it is made from a type of wheat that is lighter in color compared to the reddish brown wheat that regular whole wheat flour is made from. It is just as nutritious, but lighter, making it perfect for baking. Tangent?

For the marinara, I combined tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with spices and simmered on low while I (full disclosure, my husband made the biscuits!) made the biscuits. I also sauteed some tri-color peppers and spinach. It took about 15 minutes to make, about 20 minutes to bake and voila! quick dinner. Here is the final recipe:

Deep Dish Pizza Bake (how's this for a name?)

Whole Wheat Biscuits

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup buttermilk (or use plain milk, or plain milk + 2 tsp lemon juice to make buttermilk)

Marinara

1 medium to large onion, sliced + olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced 

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 (14 oz) can petite diced tomatoes (drained)

8 oz. tri-color peppers (I use frozen)

6 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil and the onion. Sautee just until tender, reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic, oregano, and thyme. Sautee about 30 seconds, then add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine and simmer on low while you make the biscuits.


For biscuits: Preheat oven to 450 deg F. Measure dry ingredients into a bowl. Pour oil and milk into measuring cup (do not stir) and pour all at once into flour mixture, stir until mixture cleans side of bowl and forms a ball.


Turn the dough out onto wax paper, lift the paper by one corner and fold dough in half, press down firmly and pull paper back. Repeat until dough is smooth (you are basically folding in the flaky layers by kneading it this way). 


Roll out to 1/2" thick and using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 1" vertical strips, then cut across the dough again into 1" horizontal strips. You will be left with a bunch of square dough pieces. Cut each dough piece in half so they are all triangle shape. 


Line the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish with the dough pieces, keeping them a little spaced out since they will expand when baked. 


Bake the dough first, about 8 minutes, until it starts to rise and expand. Meanwhile, sautee the peppers and spinach just until tender (don't overcook them, soggy pizza toppings are no good!). Set aside.  


Remove the baking dish from oven after the 8 minutes, and pour the marinara sauce evenly over the dough. Top with peppers and spinach and then cheese. Return to the oven and bake an additional 12-15 minutes.