Quick Mini Greek Pizza

Really the only reason for this pizza being "quick" was because I already had some prepared dough on hand for the crust. Start to finish, the thing took about 25 minutes to make. Not bad when I consider this a gourmet weekend lunchtime meal. I know, I'm so fancy.

Toppings you'll need:

• About 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 6-oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/3 cup sliced black olives (or other olives of your preference)
• 1/2 cup chopped chicken, cooked
• A handful of spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Typically I'm not a fan of olives on or around my food. But I'm finding that in the right quantities and with the right flavor combinations, they're not half bad. I happened to have this can of olives on hand, which partially led to the "Greek" pizza flavor decision. And it was a good decision. Since I usually also have artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and spinach in the house too, making foods with Greek flavors is an easy go-to for me.

When it comes to artichoke hearts, I can never get enough. I just love those little things. I've made many dishes with that food item including pastas, stuffed mushrooms, dips, casseroles and salads of many varieties, and of course, pizza. They add a nice hearty texture without feeling too heavy. If you're unfamiliar with artichoke hearts, you can find them in the grocery store in the aisle where you pick up your canned vegetables. I know, you can buy them fresh too and cook/marinate them yourself. But I'm a lazy cook and that is just too much of a time-consuming task for me.

How to make it:

• As always, pizza stone goes into a cold oven. Turn the temperature to 500 degrees and get the stone good and hot.
• Roll out the dough, and when the stone is hot enough, take it out of the oven and place the dough on top of that.
• Next, spread on the sauce.
• Sprinkle the toppings on top of that, distributing evenly. Chicken, artichokes, olives, spinach, mozzarella, then feta. 
• Carefully place that all in the oven, turn the timer on for 10-12 minutes, and find something to occupy your mind in the meantime. 

I spent that time making one very unimpressive salad. Just greens, carrots, sunflower seeds and some Greek vinaigrette dressing that I thought would nicely compliment the za. It did in fact go very well together. I'm repeatedly let down by salads served at pizza restaurants. I know the point of a pizza restaurant is not to make a good salad, it is to make a great pizza. But when I see that a salad is priced around $5 at a pizza place, I'd really like more than some week-old bagged lettuce with a package of Club crackers. 

I didn't season this pizza any more after it came out of the oven. However, I do believe that adding some black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar would liven up these slices. Up to you though how much you want to get pizza crazy. 

All in all, this lunch was tasty and satisfying. Definitely has those flavors I love and will return to again. Who knows, perhaps I'll spend more time one evening and step it up to make a gourmet Greek pizza dinner! Only time will tell.