This summer the kids and I went on a road trip to Sudbury, Ontario to follow in the footsteps of the 2015 Amazing Race contestants by going underground in a former working mine that has been converted into an amazing experiential learning exhibit called Dynamic Earth.
After spending the day exploring three different periods of time in mining history then heading back above ground to pan for gold, play in the play place, explore artifacts and learn all about geology – we were hungry!
So we headed to a local Italian restaurant that promised pizza baked in a real wood oven and a wine bar. One of the items on the menu was spinach dip, which I would have completely skipped over except the waitress described how it was baked in the wood oven with the pizza dough on top. My girls and I decided we needed to see this to believe it, while my son stuck to his favourites – minestrone soup and meatballs.
The waitress wasn’t wrong, the spinach dip was amazing and the pizza dough made the perfect flatbread for dipping. I knew I had to try recreating it at home, but of course without investing thousands of dollars in my own wood oven or spending hours making homemade pizza dough and spinach dip.
Here’s what I came up with….
Scoop your dip into a small oven-safe dish (Yup! That's store-bought).
Place in the middle of your pizza stone.
Roll out your dough into a shape as close to a circle as possible.
Place on top of dip and pizza stone then shape and fold corners under to fit (it doesn't have to be perfect!).
Brush with olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt.
Using a fork, poke holes into the dough.
Again, don't worry if it doesn't look perfect - it will be yummy!
Bake.
Slice pizza dough into strips.
Gently break-open centre to reveal the warm bubbly dip.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 tube, store-bought pizza dough (I used Pillsbury)
1 container of your favourite store-bought spinach dip (or homemade if you have time)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp coarse sea salt
Directions
Scoop your spinach dip into a small oven proof dish and place in the middle of your round pizza stone.
On flat, clean surface and using a rolling pin, roll store-bought pizza dough into a shape as close to a circle as possible.
Gently place pizza dough over top of spinach dip and shape to fit the pizza stone, tucking edges under as required.
Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt (also feel free to sprinkle with fresh parsley or rosemary too!).
Using a fork, poke holes all over dough.
Bake in pre-heated 425F oven for 12-15 minutes until crust is golden and crispy.
Carefully remove from oven (it's hot!), using a sharp knife (again, carefully...) slice open the top of the spinach dip to allow steam to escape.
Let cool slightly, then using a pizza cutter, slice pizza dough into strips.
Serve warm and enjoy!
A couple of quick answers to your questions...
Yes, Sudbury WAS a truly surprisingly great family road trip destination. Until my kids saw Dynamic Earth on the Amazing Race, we had never really considered Sudbury as a family getaway destination. But even after spending three days exploring, we were already planning what we would do the next time we came to visit. Not to be missed highlights include Dynamic Earth, Science North and the kid-friendly outdoor excursions put on by the Art Gallery of Sudbury where we hiked at Onaping Falls, learned all about the Group of Seven and painted while sitting on the rocks at the water's edge. My girls also say their Glama Gal spa experience in Sudbury was their favourite so far!
Yes, you can use your favourite dip that is best when served warm - like artichoke dip or crab dip.
No, you won't find any judgment here if you want to stick to store-bought pizza dough and dip.
Yes, I do happen to have other easy peasy appetizer recipes you can make with store-bought pizza dough. Check out my Muffin Tin Panzerottis and my Goat Cheese Chicken Pesto Pinwheels.
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