Not too many posts ago I confessed that despite living in Chicago, I haven’t been converted to deep dish pizza. And it’s still true. If I have any say, I’d rather have a thin chewy crust, heavy on the cheese and toppings. That was until I made a deep dish/pan/skillet (whatever you want to call it) pizza my own way. I ditched the dense butter crust (which after a little research I learned isn’t even made with butter, but rather vegetable oil) in favor of my favorite dough. It was this simple: my go-to pizza dough, baked it in a cast-iron skillet (12 inches so it fits), mozzarella layered on the bottom (as is traditional), then the toppings (roasted vegetables, spinach, Italian turkey sausage, and black olives) and the sauce, finished with freshly grated Parmesan. It takes a little longer to cook- but not that long. And it’s good. Not near as heavy or exhausting as a true Chicago pizza. But just a satisfying and delicious.
This recipe is highly adaptable. Stuff your pizza with whatever fillings you desire. Mix up the cheese: you could use smoked mozzarella on the bottom (I’ve made it this way and it was awesome) and/or Asiago or Romano in place of the Parmesan. My only advice is to be careful what you fill it with because you want to prevent too much liquid from accumulating. Squeeze any excess liquid out of the vegetables you’ll be adding. Raw vegetables might present a problem if they release a lot of liquid as they cook. And make sure to reduce the sauce or strain it before using. Letting the pizza sit for a bit before slicing helps it to set and reabsorb some of the liquid.
I should mention the sauce. I think it’s what made this pizza extra special. Don’t be lazy and use a jar. This sauce is worth your time. It’s not a lot of effort and simmers away while the dough is rising. I’ve tried a handful of Chicago pizza eateries and this sauce was pretty darn authentic if comparing. You won’t need all of the sauce for a single pizza so freeze what’s left over for a future sauce emergency.
And now for my first ever giveaway! I’m giving one lucky reader this 12-inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet so they can make their very own deep dish pizza (and pancakes and pot pie and so many other wonderful things) with it. To be eligible, just leave a comment in the comments section. I would love to know what you plan on making if you win…
GIVEAWAY: LODGE 12-INCH CAST IRON SKILLET
TO ENTER: Simply leave a comment in the comments section. One entry per person. Giveaway will remain open until 12:00 A.M. CST on Monday February 3, 2014. ONE winner will be selected at random and announced and contacted later Monday morning. Make sure to provide your email address in the comment form so I can contact you (it will not be published). This giveaway is NOT being sponsored by any company. It’s a product that I have purchased myself and use and love. And now I am providing one for you!
** This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to BRITTANY ERICKSON, winner of the cast iron skillet. I’ll be in contact with you via e-mail. Thanks to everyone who entered!**
Deep Dish Skillet Pizza
INGREDIENTS
1 recipe pizza dough
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, for greasing the pan
cornmeal, for dusting the pan
sauce:*
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped (or 3/4 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
pinch crushed red pepper flakes (more to taste)
28 oz. can plum tomatoes, coarsely crushed
1 Tbsp. dry red wine (I replaced it with 1 tsp. red wine vinegar)
1 tsp. sugar
*NOTE: This makes more sauce than you need for 1 pizza. I used about 1/2- 2/3 of the sauce and froze the rest for later.
filling:
roasted vegetables (I roasted red and green bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms- make sure to drain any excess liquid before adding to the pizza)
spinach, cooked and chopped (remember to squeeze out any liquid)
black olives, sliced
8 oz. Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled (I used mild Italian turkey sausage) and/or pepperoni
~8 oz. mozzarella, grated (or smoked mozzarella for even more flavor)
~3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (and/or Pecorino Romano, Asiago, etc.)
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe directions.
2. To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the herbs, salt and peppers and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, wine (or vinegar), and sugar, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely before using. (The sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.)
3. Preheat oven to 450 F. Rub 1 Tbsp. olive oil over the bottom and sides of a 12-inch seasoned cast iron skillet. Dust the bottom and sides with cornmeal.
4. When the dough is ready, use your hands to stretch it into a large circle and place it in the bottom of the prepared cast iron skillet. Continue stretching it evenly and pressing it into the pan until the dough reaches the edges and up the sides of the pan coming to the top. Place the mozzarella cheese on top of the crust. Top with the sausage, vegetables, and olives. Ladle the sauce evenly over top (I use about 2/3 of the sauce) and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake pizza in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is puffed and browned, the cheese is melted and golden, and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes before slicing.
Makes 1 12-inch round deep dish pizza.
(Adapted from Food Network and Minimalist Baker)
I have a HUGE box full of recipes I’d like to try, and they all require yhis skillet!!
I would love to try one of these! How tastey does that look!!!
Yummy! My family loves pizza, How easy is pizza in a skillet!!!!
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We love your pizza dough recipe! My sister Megan shared your blog with me and I love all your recipes. It’s now my go to cooking blog. Thanks for sharing!
We LOVE your pizza dough and make it all the time! I’d love to try it a new way!
I’ve never actually owned cast iron but we got a new Gas Stove the other day and I was telling my husband that I was going to purchase a set. My Mother in Law always uses cast iron and for some reason it just makes food taste better!!!
I love cooking on cast iron! The recipe looks yummy
I love Cast Iron and I love Pizza! Thank you for the recipe and the chance in your lovely giveaway!
Oooh I would love a cast iron skillet. Thanks for the great giveaway.
nice skillet
You’re a genius 🙂 And that pizza looks amazing! Love you!
I love deep dish! I’d love to try this recipe in a new cast iron skillet!
Wow, that looks delicious! Would love to try it in the skillet– good luck to me! Thanks for the giveaway.
Oh I’ve always wanted one of these!! This year I’m committing to make homemade meals & less processed meals. This would be awesome to use
Love the idea of making pizza in a pan like this. Thanks for the chance and the great idea!
I have a personal size cast iron skillet I love a big one would be lovely! Love your recipes Jess!
I just stumbled upon your website and I love it. Thank you 🙂 Love skillet recipes
Pizza looks gorgeous and I love cast-iron skillets. There’s something so cowboy about them. I have a Lodge one that I’ve saved for baking only.
Congrats on your giveaway!
I have one running at the moment, too. Announcing the winner tomorrow.
Just leave a comment on my salmon post and you’re in to win a foodie gift box from Maille UK!
Cheers!
This looks like a nice skillet
Love you blog and recipes! I wish I could cook like you (Phil wishes that too) Yay for a fun giveaway.
I would LOVE this! I have been wish I had one forever; that way I can make even more of your recipes:) Thanks for the posts Jessie, I love everything you post. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Probably pizza, because this looks delicious!
I’m still scarred from my old Pizza Hut days haha but your deep dish may change my mind! Love your blog, Jessie!
What a fun giveaway! Then I could stop borrowing my mother-in-law’s 🙂 I’m sure it was amazing since I have yet to try a pizza recipe on here that wasn’t!
I live in NYC, but could be tempted to make the above recipe with this pan!
Oh. My. Goodness. Chicago native here, saw this post because one of friends posted it on Facebook. I live in a different state, I miss Lou Malnati’s and Giordano’s more than anything. Would love to try this recipie, looks great 🙂
I would actually LOVE to make the deep dish pizza you posted! Thanks 🙂
The pizza looks delish! I have wanted a cast iron skillet for a long time so I could make dishes like this one!
What a nice thing for you to do-thanks for the giveaway
This looks awesome. I want! 🙂
My goodness – does that ever look yummy!!
I’ve tried this pizza (made by Jessie herself), and it was as good as it looks and sounds! Yum! I think it is just as good as true Chicago deep-dish pizza, and I’d love to try it out myself if I win the skillet.
I would definitely make your deep-dish pizza!
Oooh! I’d love to recreate this.
I’ll have my wife make that pizza. 🙂
Love your blog Jessie!!! Almost any time I cook, I get a recipe from here. Unfortunately, it’s not as much as I would like
Awesome! I have been wanting a cast iron skillet for awhile!!
Looks delish! I need to invest in a couple for my big family.
First I would be making an oven pancake (we call them German pancakes) then this deep dish pizza!
I would make a deep dish pizza first.
Deep dish pizza is my fav. This is a need and want.
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I would make a pizza. 🙂
sounds delicious
My mother always cooked with iron skillets, and now my sister does too. So many foods are much better cooked in this type of skillet. I would love to have one.
I have ALWAYS wanted a cast iron skillet. We make our own homemade pizza so this would be a GREAT win! Ty for the giveaway & recipe & gl to everyone!
Hmmmm. I love the idea of deep dish pizza… some kind of cornbread topped chili pie dish or a cherry crisp sounds yummy! Thanks for the chance to win!
gosh I could finally make a pizza to be proud of
I would try your deep dish pizza recipe first. My husband just watched a history channel thing about pizza in America. So, I was telling him about this recipe on your blog….. and he gave me the history. Have you been to the original deep dish pizza restaurant in Chicago?
That really does look heavenly–wouldn’t have thought to put the roasted veggies in there, but it looks like it would be amazing. Way less of a gut bomb than Giordano’s.
Thanks for dinner last night! Spence took one bite and pronounced it, “amazeballs”. We loved it, Elsa included.
So glad you enjoyed it! It was an experimental recipe and we loved it too so it’ll be posted soon!