Black Lagoon Pizza

Scary Good Halloween Pizza

This spinach, kalamata olive, and black garlic pizza is a perfect spooky addition to your Halloween party line-up. The murky greens, purples, and black colors from the toppings on this pizza evoke the spooky colors of the Black Lagoon. It’s an eerily delicious bite that feels festive but not too scary. 

It’s salty, sweet, and has little pops of spice from the red pepper flakes. Plus the fermented black garlic adds a tangy, garlicky flavor throughout. It’s a pizza recipe suitable for the creature from the black lagoon or for the grown-ups at your Halloween get-together!

The Supplies

Ingredients

To make this spinach kalamata olive and black garlic pizza, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Garlic 
• Baby spinach
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper 
• Fresh pizza crust
• Shredded gouda cheese
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Goat cheese
• Kalamata olives
• Fermented black garlic
• Red pepper flakes
• Balsamic glaze

For the exact ingredient amounts, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Equipment

In order to make this spinach kalamata olive and black garlic pizza, you’ll need the following pieces of equipment:

• Cutting board and knife
• Frying pan
• Rolling pin
• Large baking sheet
• Pizza cutter

Frequent Recipe Questions

Can I make this pizza in advance?

• A: If you’re hoping to prep this recipe in advance, saute the spinach and grate the cheese. Then refrigerate everything until you’re ready to bake it. Then, assemble the pizza, bake, and serve right away.

Is it ok to use pre-baked crust?

• A: It is! If you only have access to pre-baked crust, you can swap that in for this recipe. Depending on the crust, just be sure to watch the pizza as it bakes and reduce the time by a minute or two if needed.

Recipe Tips

When you make this spinach kalamata olive and black garlic pizza, here are a few tips to make sure it turns out delicious:

• If the crust has big bubbles in it when you take the pizza out of the oven, use the tines of a fork to gently poke a hole in the center of the bubble. The bubble will fall and deflate as the crust cools. 
• For the shredded gouda, use a cheese grater to shred your own cheese. The taste will be sharper and it will melt much nicer!

Recipe Details

Saute the Spinach and Garlic

To start this recipe, you’ll first pre-cook the spinach to release the extra moisture from the greens. Before starting on the spinach, though, switch your oven on to preheat at 450°F, get out a large baking sheet, and set out the pizza dough so that it can come to room temperature.

For the spinach, drizzle a glug of olive oil into a frying pan over medium heat. Add some minced garlic and let it become really fragrant before adding the spinach to the frying pan.Stir and cook the spinach until it’s completely wilted and cooked through. Then take the pan off of the heat and season with a bit of salt and pepper.

Build and Bake the Black Lagoon Pizza

To assemble the pizza, sprinkle a work surface and rolling pin with all purpose flour. Place the pizza dough into the center of the work space and use the rolling pin to roll the crust into a circle or oblong shape. Drizzle a bit of olive oil onto the baking sheet.  Transfer the pizza crust to the baking sheet. Use a fork to pierce a few holes into the center of the crust.

Drizzle some olive oil onto the crust. Sprinkle the shredded gouda cheese, crumbled goat cheese, and the grated parmesan cheese onto the crust. Then add the halved kalamata olives.

Remove the spinach from the frying pan and squeeze out any excess liquid into the sink or back into the frying pan. Place the cooked spinach onto the top of the pizza. Bake the black garlic pizza for about 8 minutes until the crust is crisp on bottom and baked in the middle.

Finish the Pizza and Serve

Once the pizza is fully baked, let it cool for a few minutes. Then sprinkle the fermented black garlic and red pepper flakes over the top. Drizzle the pizza with some balsamic glaze. Then you’re ready to slice, serve, and enjoy!

If you make this spinach kalamata olive and black garlic pizza, be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating – I can’t wait to hear how it goes. As always, tag me on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook in your photos. It makes me feel like we’re getting to cook together!

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Print Recipe

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Halloween

Black Lagoon Pizza

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Baked Cuisine: American, Italian Courses: Appetizer, Pizza

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 15 mins Rest Time 5 mins Total Time 35 mins

Cooking Temp: 450  F Servings: 4

Best Season: Fall

Dietary:

N Nut Free V Vegetarian

Description

Spooky spinach kalamata olive and black garlic pizza made with three cheeses and a balsamic glaze drizzle. A perfect pizza for the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 cup baby spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste
• All-purpose flour, for dusting a work surface
• 1 fresh pizza crust
• ¹⁄₂ cup shredded gouda cheese
• ¹⁄₃ cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• ¹⁄₃ cup kalamata olives, halved
• 1 teaspoon ground fermented black garlic
• Pinch of re
• Balsamic glaze, for drizzling

Instructions

Saute the Spinach

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F, set out a large baking sheet and a large frying pan. Set out the pizza dough so that it can come to room temperature.

2. Place the frying pan on the stovetop over medium heat and drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil into the pan. Add the minced garlic, stir, and cook for about 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the spinach to the frying pan. Stir and cook the spinach until it’s completely wilted and cooked through. About 3 minutes. 

3. Take the frying pan off of the heat and season with a small pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Build and Bake the Pizza

1. Flour a work surface and rolling pin with all purpose flour. Place the pizza dough into the center and use the rolling pin to roll it into a circle or oblong shape. Drizzle ½ tablespoon of olive oil onto the baking sheet and then transfer the crust to the baking sheet. Use a fork to pierce a few holes into the crust.

2. Drizzle the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil on to the top of the crust. Sprinkle the shredded gouda cheese, crumbled goat cheese, and the grated parmesan cheese onto the crust. Arrange the kalamata olives over the top of the cheese.

3. Take the spinach from the frying pan and squeeze out any excess liquid into the sink or back into the frying pan. Arrange the spinach onto the top of the pizza and discard the liquid. 

4. Bake the pizza for 8 minutes until the crust is crisp on bottom and baked in the middle.

Finish the Pizza and Serve

1. Once the pizza is out of the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the fermented black garlic and red pepper flakes over the top. Drizzle the pizza with the balsamic glaze. Slice, serve, and enjoy!