Layers of melty cheese, spicy Italian meatballs, mushrooms, and bell peppers in a Chicago-style deep dish pizza. It’s covered in a tasty Pomodoro pizza sauce then baked to perfection in a cast-iron skillet. This amazing pie has a crunchy, delicious crust and is meant to be eaten with a fork and knife.
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Recipe
Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza
Equipment
- 10-inch cast-iron skillet
- ladle – for the sauce
- cutting board
- pie knife
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 ball of pizza dough
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 slices Provolone cheese
- 6 slices Mozzarella cheese
- 8 Italian meatballs – halved
- 4 ounces cremini mushrooms – sliced
- ¼ cup green bell pepper – sliced
- 3 cups Pomodoro Pizza Sauce
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese – grated
Instructions
- Flour a ball of pizza dough on a rolling surface.1 ball of pizza dough, 2 tbsp flour
- Roll out the dough into a 14-inch disc.
- Coat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with olive oil. Add the pizza dough, and press into the shape of the pan. The dough should extend up the sides of the skillet.2 tbsp olive oil
- Add the provolone and mozzarella cheese directly on top of the dough.6 slices Provolone cheese, 6 slices Mozzarella cheese
- Add halved Italian meatballs, sliced mushrooms, and sliced bell peppers.8 Italian meatballs, 4 ounces cremini mushrooms, 1/4 cup green bell pepper
- Pull up the sides of the pizza dough so that it drapes over the rim of the skillet. Ladle Pomodoro Pizza Sauce on top of the ingredients.
- Completely and evenly cover the ingredients with sauce.3 cups Pomodoro Pizza Sauce
- Add parmesan cheese on top of the sauce. Fold the draped dough back into the skillet, covering the outside edge of the sauce.2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 550℉. Reduce the temperature to 450℉ then bake the pizza for 25 minutes.
- Remove the pizza, and cool in the skillet for 5 minutes.
- Using a pizza knife, carefully lift the pizza from the skillet onto a serving plate.
- Cut the pizza into wedges, and serve. This pizza is meant to be eaten with a fork and knife!
Notes
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
Chicago-style deep dish pizzas have a deep crust, allowing for extra fillings and sauce. One slice is at least equivalent to two slices of New-York pizza. It is truly a pizza-pie, meant to be eaten with a fork and knife. If you have never tried pizza prepared this way, you are realy in for a treat! It’s so good!
Fillings
I’m using my own spicy Italian meatballs, and garden-fresh bell peppers in this creation. Use whatever ingredients you want. Make sure you put the cheese directly onto the dough in the bottom of the pan. Add your desired fillings, then completely cover with sauce.
Heating the oven
The oven should be very hot because it has limited time to heat up the skillet while the pizza bakes. This is important so that you achieve a golden-brown, crispy crust. The crust should hold up on its own after removing the baked pizza from the skillet. Pre-heat the oven to 550 degrees before putting in the pie. Reduce the heat to 450 while you bake the pizza.
Resting the pizza
Be careful when removing the pizza from the oven. The skillet will be very hot, so don’t burn yourself! Use oven mitts, and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before attempting to remove the pizza from the skillet.
Cheeses
I’m using sliced provolone and mozzarella cheese because that is what I have on hand. Shredded mozzarella and provolone would work perfectly. Both of these cheese are excellent in a Chicago-style pizza. Make sure the entire base of the pizza is covered in a thick layer of cheese.
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