Rev: Black Bean and Spinach Pizza

[Rosalie]

Made this for a quick dinner tonight. It is from the Reader Recipes in the July issue. Quick to throw together and very tasty. DH loved the flavor...had a bit of a kick to it.

If you like Mexican food, you will like this pizza!
The only thing different I did was to use the fresh spinach I had in the fridge and I also topped mine w/ a tsp. or so of sour cream. Yum!

Mexican Black Bean and Spinach Pizza

1 (10 ounce) Italian Cheese Flavored thin Pizza Crust (Boboli)
1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup bottled salsa
½ (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, chopped, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
½ tsp hot sauce
½ cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 373 degrees.

Place pizza crust on a baking sheet; bake at 375 for 5 minutes or until crisp.

Mash beans w/ a fork; combine beans and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl, stirring to combine. Spread bean mixture over crust, leaving a one inch border. Spoon salsa over beans; top w/ spinach and cilantro. Drizzle w/ hot sauce; sprinkle w/ cheeses.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly brown.

Yield: 4 servings (2 slices per serving)

Cals: 408
Fat 12.3
Pro: 22.2
Fiber: 8.3
Carbs: 51

[SusanMac]

Thanks for the review. I love making mexican-style pizzas. I'd typically add red bell peppers and corn, too. Oh, and definitely a chipolte/adobo sauce pepper. Haven't tried spinach with a bean pizza before, but will definitely try it (I'm also a fresh spinach fan, like you. Never frozen or canned. yech)

[kristalsnow7]

That looks really yummy! I used to make something similar many years back, but it definitely wasn't "light". I hope I get my July issue soon!

Kristal

[Kathy B]

Thanks for the review, this is one that caught my eye. I'm glad to know that it had a bit of kick. I had wondered about the spiciness as we like our pizza pretty spicy. I often use shredded pepperjack cheese in place of mozzarella to liven it up a little. Might try that with this one, too.

[Ralph]

Made this tonight with some changes done out of convenience, not because I didn't like the recipe as published. Nonetheless, it was really good.

Here were the changes: I used TJs pizza dough rather than a Boboli crust; used some homemade salsa, & because it's a really hot salsa, I skipped the hot sauce. And, I grilled the pizza (it's humid & in the 90s here - I'm not cranking the oven to 375!:D )!

I thought the beans could have used a little more seasoning, but perhaps that's because my salsa was more chunky & less wet than you'd get out of a jar.

[kristalsnow7]

I thought this pizza was great---the only thing I didn't like was the Boboli crust. If you don't want to make your own, I think even the Pillsbury crust would be better than the Boboli....

Anyway, I used chipotle chile powder instead of regular powder, and added more garlic to the beans. I processed them in the food processor so they had a nice, spreadable consistency. They were really good--the chile powder gave them a smoky kick. I also subbed fresh spinach for the frozen, but left everything else as is. Very yummy, and pretty easy to make. I would repeat this one.

[LaraW]

We had this for dinner on Saturday last weekend and both really liked it a lot. We also used fresh spinach and skipped the hot sauce as our salsa was already pretty spicy.

I had some for lunch a few days later, and the leftovers were really good! :)

[AnnaSue]

We really liked this too. I didn't realize that the recipe called for 1/2 of a 10 oz package of frozen spinach until I was putting it on the pizza and realized it looked like an awful lot. Next time I will definitely use fresh spinach instead.

[CHRIST1NE]

I made this last night for dinner -- excellent! And the leftover piece I brought for lunch is tasting pretty good too. I didn't realize it was only 1/2 a package of spinach until I read AnnaSue's post (above)... that would certainly explain all the spinach :) For those of you using fresh, did you chop it up and just sprinkle it (like the cilantro)? did you use baby spinach? Using fresh sure would be easier than having to deal with a leftover 1/2 package of spinach.

[mbeth]

I'm planning on making this tonight and will buy fresh spinach rather than frozen. Do I need to cook the spinach down a bit before topping my pizza with it? Or just pile it on there and bake it in the oven? I'm thinking it needs to be cooked first. I do like to have these things spelled out for me!:p Thanks for any input!

[LaraW]

I just piled it on and put it in the oven. It'll cook down a bit while its in the oven.

[mbeth]

Originally posted by LaraW
I just piled it on and put it in the oven. It'll cook down a bit while its in the oven.
Hooray! That eliminates a step! Thanks for the input. Looking forward to this yummy, healthy pizza!

[mbeth]

Just checking back in--I made it and it was yummy!! The only changes I made were to use my own crust recipe and to substitute Pepper Jack cheese for the cheeses called for. I loved it, and yes, it does have a nice kick to it. Delish!

[cvelting]

I made this, but I didn't love it. I think there was too much onion in the black bean mix. Also, I used low-fat cheese, and it just wasn't right. It didn't get all melty, so there wasn't much to tone down the spicyness of the beans. I might just have to throw the rest out.

[mbeth]

I used full fat cheese, so maybe that's the difference. I really enjoyed having the leftovers for lunch. Also, the homemade pizza dough was good--did you use a Boboli? I don't really like those.

[Kathy F]

Resurrecting this thread to say that I came up with a variation on this recipe -- making individual pizzas on whole wheat pita bread. I had some leftover black beans, so I made one for my lunch today. It was great! I quartered the ingredients, which seemed to work out right, and I kept the baking time the same. The pita bread worked well as a crust, which might be something to consider for those of you who didn't like the Boboli.

Kathy (making her first post!)

[kristalsnow7]

Hi Kathy!

Just wanted to say welcome to the BB! And thanks for the tip about the pita bread. That is an excellent idea! :)

[123Alice]

I'm so glad you brought this thread back up. I wasn't around when it initially started and would have missed it entirely. It sounds awesome. Also, I've always wanted to make a pizza on pita bread. Do you split it in half and use one layer, or just use the whole thing? I guess it might hold toppings better if you use the whole thing.

[Kathy F]

Kristal -- Thanks for the welcome!

Alice -- I used a whole pita bread. I have seen recipes for pita pizzas where you split the bread in half, but I think using a whole one works better here. With the beans, you end up with more toppings than you have on a normal pizza. I definitely recommend this recipe. I've made it twice the original way, with the Boboli crust, and it's great that way, too.

[jtoepfert100]

Bumping this old one up because I finally made this last night. For as easy and simple it is to put together, it really is quite good. I did use the Boboli crust but I'll probably try my own next time or, better yet, the pita idea posted above. I also used Penzey's chipotle powder instead of chili powder and a chipotle salsa. I like that the portion size is larger than most low-fat pizza recipes and it is really filling. This is an excellent recipe for a busy weeknight!:)