Spinach Artichoke Pizza

5 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 c chopped spinach
1/2 pint halved cherry tomatoes
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
pizza dough

Shape pizza dough into a large rectangle and place on a baking sheet.

Combine oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Use 3 Tbsp of oil mixture to spread on prepared dough. Toss remaining oil mixture with spinach, tomatoes and artichokes. Sprinkle cheeses over dough and top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

NOTES
Originally from Rachael Ray.
My favorite pizza, easily customizable. I like to add black olives and red onion, and often use tomato slices or skip tomatoes entirely. Often out of laziness I'll use thin slices of mozzarella instead of shredded.

Calzones or Strombolis

1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1 c warm water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour, divided
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 c ricotta cheese
1 1/2 c shredded Cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp dried basil leaves
1-2 c filling (see notes)
1 egg, beaten
marinara sauce or pizza sauce

To make dough: in a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the oil, sugar and salt; mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl coated with 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes, or until almost doubled.

To make filling: while dough is rising, combine the ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, basil leaves and filling in a large bowl. Mix well, cover bowl and refrigerate to chill.

To make calzones: when dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Fill each circle with 1/2 of the cheese filling and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

To make a stromboli: when dough is ready, punch it down separate it into two equal parts. Roll each out into a rectangle, about 10" x 14", on a lightly floured surface. Spread each rectangle with half of the filling. Starting on one long side, roll dough into a cylinder and pinch the edges to seal (you can brush a little egg on the edges to help seal the dough). Brush the tops of the strombolis with egg and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and starting to crisp. Serve hot with warm marinara or pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

NOTES
Adapted from recipes at allrecipes.com and foodnetwork.com.
We have these regularly as an alternative to pizza (which we also eat regularly).
You could make this using pre-made pizza dough, or your own favorite pizza dough recipe.
To make the filling, I chop up whatever veggies we have on hand, kinds that would work well as pizza toppings, such as onions, peppers, olives, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, meat, etc., and saute them in oil with minced garlic.
I make my own dipping sauce: open a can of crushed tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, a little sugar, dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper and/or parsley to taste. Usually a teaspoon or so of anchovy paste as well. Heat and serve.

Vegetarian Lasagna

1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 c tomato sauce
dried basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary to taste
1 c frozen spinach
2 c ricotta cheese
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8 oz) package lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced

Sprinkle eggplant with salt; let sit 10-15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Toss with about 1 Tbsp olive oil; roast in a 400-degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until tender.

Heat remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir mushrooms, onions and garlic until softened. Stir in tomato sauce, herbs and spinach; cook until spinach is no longer frozen.

Combine ricotta, 1 1/2 c mozzarella and Parmesan.

Spread 1/3 sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Layer with 1/3 lasagna noodles, half of eggplant, and half of zucchini. Spread with half of cheese mixture. Spread with 1/3 sauce, 1/3 lasagna noodles, and remaining eggplant, zucchini and cheese mixture. Top with remaining lasagna noodles and sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking about 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning.

NOTES
This is actually my own recipe, cobbled together from various other veggie lasagna recipes, reconstructed here to the best of my recollection.
Amounts and types of veggies are variable by taste. It's nice to roast all of the veggies )except spinach) along with the eggplant.