Mexican Black Bean and Spinach Pizza

Using store-bought pizza crust makes this recipe a snap! Instead of using Boboli (which contains cheese), try the whole wheat pre-made crust from Whole Foods' house brand. They come two to a pack, so use one tonight and freeze the other for the next time you want a quick pizza dinner!

In advance, you'll want to thaw and squeeze dry a 10-ounce frozen package of spinach. You only need half of the package for this recipe (about 3/4 cup) so save the rest for another use.

Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes by itself.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping: rinse and drain a 15-ounce can of black beans, then mash with a fork. Stir in 2/3 cup chopped onion, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground chili powder, and 1 minced garlic clove.

Spread the bean mixture evenly over the crust, leaving about a 1-inch border. Spoon 1/2 cup bottled salsa evenly over the beans - any variety will do, and I chose the mild salsa from Muir Glen.

Sprinkle evenly with the thawed spinach and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, then drizzle with 1/2 tsp. hot sauce (such as the Hot Stuff from the Wizard).

The original recipe called for a blend of shredded cheddar and shredded Monterey Jack sprinkled on top - 1/2 a cup of each. I used the vegan cheddar from Galaxy Foods and the vegan Monterey Jack from Vegan Gourmet.

Bake the pizza at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Slice into 8 wedges and serve! 2 wedges of pizza make a serving of 410 calories.

Note: I forgot the hot sauce before I slipped the pizza into the oven, so drizzled it on top once out of the oven.

Cost:
pizza crust $4.99
canned black beans $1.99
onion $0.72
bottled salsa $4.39
frozen spinach $2.49
cilantro $1.69
vegan cheddar $2.50
vegan Monterey Jack $4.39