Homemade deep dish pizza is easier than you might think! All you need is a cast iron skillet and some basic ingredients and you’ll be whipping up a Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza in no time.Β
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Let’s talk about DEEP DISH.
This pizza. It’s awesome. Also, I cooked it in a SKILLET.
I’d never really HAD deep dish until I moved to Illinois for college, but once I started dating Kyle, his born-and-raised Chicago family made sure I tried alllllll the proper deep dish the city had to offer.
Fast forward a few years to when we moved to New York, and I suddenly found myself craving Chicago pizza in a big, big way.
So I started to make my own!
It took a few tries to get our recipe down pat, but I’m happy to say that this version is Kyle-approved (wooo) and is a pretty convincing substitute (in my humble non-Chicagoan opinion, at least) for Chicago’s powerhouse deep-disheries.
Like a classic deep dish at Giordano’s or Uno’s or Gino’s (the aforementioned powerhouses), it’s built with thick layers of cheese and sausage and finished with a layer of crushed tomatoes.
The trick to this pizza is TECHNIQUE more than anything – you want to press the dough evenly into a cast iron skillet and get all those toppings in there so that everything bakes evenly.
I’ve found that thinner dough is better here, so stay away from pizza doughs with a lot of yeast (they’ll rise too much during baking and you’ll end up with a weird deep dish dutch baby situation. Delicious? Yes. But not quite what we’re going for).
My fifteen minute pizza dough works well here, and if you want an even thinner crust, you can even reduce the yeast in that recipe by 1/2 teaspoon or so with good results. Try a sturdy, 10-12″ cast iron skillet like this one from Lodge if you don’t already have one!
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Homemade Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza made in a cast iron skillet!
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. Spicy Italian Sausage
- 1 recipe of your favorite pizza dough
- 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes (or your favorite pizza sauce)
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
- Fresh sliced basil, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces as it cooks. Drain away any excess fat and set aside.
- Press pizza dough into a 10-12″ cast iron skillet (I like this one). Flatten dough against the bottom of the pan and press it all the way up the sides of the skillet, like so:
- Spread a thin layer of crushed tomatoes on the bottom of the pizza. Top with half of the mozzarella, then add the cooked sausage and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the last layer of mozzarella with the remaining crushed tomatoes.
- Bake pizza at 375 for 35-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil (optional), slice, and serve immediately.
Notes
If you donβt have a large cast iron skillet, use a deep pan or pot with very thick sides. The pizza has to bake for a long time so you want the heat to distribute very evenly. A ceramic casserole dish, cake pan, or dutch oven would also do the trick. A too-thin pan will burn the crust β you want it soft and chewy!
Use your favorite pizza sauce or tomato sauce here if you like. I love the simplicity of crushed tomatoes or homemade tomato sauce. Whatever you use, just make sure that it’s THICK – runny tomato sauce will result in a soggy pizza crust. If you’re using homemade tomato sauce, you may want to simmer it on the stove for a bit before adding it to your pizza to give the excess water a chance to cook off.
Use whatever pizza toppings you like here – peppers, onions, black olives, pepperoni, spinach, chicken, you name it!
If your crust starts to get too brown in the oven, cover your pizza with foil or an oven-safe lid for the remainder of the cooking time.
I’m from the Chicago NE suburbs, but am now living in Michigan. I miss Chicago deep dish pizza. I’ve tried making my own, but I’m having problems finding good Italian sausage. Any recipe suggestions? Also, suggestions for turkey breakfast sausage? Thanks
Our local grocery store in NY (Wegman’s) has great Italian sausage, and if you have a good butcher shop near you, that’s a good place to start! You could also find some similarly high-quality Italian Sausage at Whole Foods. The key for me is also to buy the Spicy Italian Sausage – I find the spicier varieties are much more reminiscent of real Chicago Deep Dish than plain ol’ ground pork. If you can’t find a good spicy sausage, though, I’ve mixed my own before (though it’s more work) – this recipe from Bon Appetit looks like it might be a good place to start. I’ve actually never used turkey breakfast sausage, so I’m afraid I’m no help there. But good luck with your Italian Sausage search, and I hope this recipe helps to bring you a little taste of Chicago out there in Michigan! π
I want to make (and eat) this RIGHT NOW! =) looks so delicious!
Thanks! This is one of our top dinner favorites – especially now that we’re in NY and not in deep dish country anymore!
I am definitely going to try this, it looks delicious and easy. I am originally from Chicago and yes we really do love our pizza. I’m thinking that I would maybe add green pepper slices and mushrooms. Thanks for the neat recipe.
You’re welcome! I hope you like it. This pizza has made its way into our weekly rotation – I can have it in the oven within 20 minutes of deciding to make it, and we switch out the sauce and toppings all the time. We’re leaving Illinois for New York in a few weeks, so I’ve been grabbing Gino’s and Giordano’s every time I’m in the city because I’ve gotten so attached and don’t want to give it up! Thankfully this recipe will make a good substitute, though. Phew!
I made this pizza tonight in my big Dutch oven because I don’t have a cast iron skillet, but it turned out *amazing*!!! So yummy! I will definitely be making this again for the family since it was actually really quick and easy (with help from my bread-maker to make the dough). π Thanks!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
Another use for my cast iron skillet. Will try this weekend.
That pizza looks TO DIE FOR! Can’t wait to try it!
Favorite dish so far is this lasagna recipe from boyfriend’s dad. So yum!
I just liked your facebook page and followed you on twitter!!!
Love Chicago deep dish pizza! I’ve only had real Chicago deep dish once (Giordano’s) and it was on our honeymoon, so I have fabulous memories connected to that. π I’ve seen a few recipes floating around for it since then, but I haven’t attempted it yet. I’ll need to do so soon!
The best thing I’ve every cooked would have to be my grandma’s spaghetti sauce. It’s a all-day affair, but so delicious!
I’m definatly going to give this a try !!!
Best thing we’ve ever cooked is my Moms spaghetti sauce.
I’m so going to make this!! I haven’t had Chicago deep dish pizza in years!
It’s hard to pick the best thing I’ve cooked, because I love so much of it SO MUCH! But this past summer I finally tried making my own tortillas for burritos and they were great! They’re thick and chewy and add so much more to the burrito than just holding it together! So I will say my completely from scratch burritos.
This looks so good! Best thing I ever cooked was eggplant parm! Fried up with some pasta, so indulgent and so yummy!!
The pizza looks so good! Bookmarked!
The best thing I’ve ever made is my Grandmother’s stuffing. She trained me well, the family says it tastes just like hers! I’m so proud everytime I make it.
The recipe I return to over and over again: Grand Marnier Brownies. First learned from the now defunct CHOCOLATIER magazine, I’ve tweaked the recipe over time, adding more orange zest, orange extract, and espresso powder (to intensify the chocolate). I’ve substituted Tia Maria for the Grand Marnier and used up to 3 Tbsp of espresso powder to really give ’em that Starbucks burn! They are not for anyone but deep chocolate lovers. Period.
Amazing pizza!! The best dish I did/do is salmon in a zaffron sauce.
Pinning tha recipe!!
The first pie I ever made was peach raspberry with a homemade crust and to this day it’s the best one I’ve ever made! Thanks for sharing all of your resources!
Pie….apple, cherry…pecan….you name it.
Damn, that is some mighty fine pizza. Awesome pics! Haven’t done the skillet pie yet, but it just moved up to the top of my list.
Yum, I’d have to say the best thing I’ve ever made was a completely from scratch wild mushroom lasagna with a bechamel. Mmm I still think about it every once in a while…
I’ve never made pizza in the skillet either! What a great idea and it looks so good!
As far as my “fav” dish…I would have to say that my favorite thing to cook is “Alan’s Special”.
If you have been to ElRancherito you would understand!
Its simply 2-3 grilled chicken breasts cut into 1/4″ strips, 1 jar of Queso or Monterrey jack cheese sauce, 1 pkg. shredded Mont. Jack cheese, 1/2 cup milk, 1 Uncle Ben’s boil n a bag rice…and you are good to go!
Stir together and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. I usually sprinkle my fav. spicy seasoning on it too for a lil more bite! Can be served with oven heated nacho chips…”On the Border” are my favorite!
Oh my gosh this pizza is brilliant! It looks like the most comforting pizza on the face of the planet! I’ve never made pizza in a cast iron skillet and this sounds like a ton of fun. Can wait to bite into a steamy slice of deep dish pizza!