I’m always trying to perfect my pizza techniques. And I must say, my veggie and feta cheese pizza was mighty tasty! But, I’ve outdone myself this time. I created a Deep Dish Skillet Pizza that will make you think you’re sitting at your favorite pizza house. Here, feast your eyes on this…

2 15-ounce can’s Hunt’s Basic Garlic and Oregano Tomato Sauce
3-4 tablespoons grated Three Cheese Parmesan
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
¾ teaspoons dried basil, crushed
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Couple tablespoons olive oil
2 13.8 ounce cans of Pillsbury refrigerator pizza dough
2 cups shredded mozzarella
8 ounces Italian bulk sausage browned and drained
½ pound ground beef, browned and drained
½ Package of pepperoni slices

Beautiful, huh? It all started when I had a burst of inspiration in the kitchen about how I might be able to create that perfect deep dish crust we like from regular refrigerator pizza dough. It hit me like a ton of bricks, or at least a heavy skillet. Why not my cast iron skillet?! I mean, why not? Why haven’t I thought of this before?

I began by preheating my oven to 475 degrees and brushing the bottom of a cast iron skillet with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. FYI, for these ingredients I used my 16” skillet. If you use a smaller skillet, you may want to scale back. I prepared my pizza sauce by combining tomato sauce, tomato paste, and 3-4 tablespoons three cheese Parmesan. Then I seasoned my sauce with oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper and set it aside.

Now, for that crust! You can make your own from scratch, if you’d like, but this is what I did and I’m telling you it was perfection! Take two cans of refrigerator pizza dough and combine them into one ball. Lay this on a floured surface and roll it into a circle a bit larger than the bottom of your cast iron skillet. Place circle of dough in the bottom of your skillet and pinch the extra dough around the edges to create a nice rolled crust and a well for your sauce and fixings. Top dough with sauce and the meats of your choice. Top with shredded mozzarella and bake for 15 to twenty minutes, or until your crust is browned to your personal preference. TADA! The perfect deep dish pizza—in my beloved cast iron skillet. Score! I hope you’ll try this technique, pizza lovers! My Deep Dish Skillet Pizza is good eating, from the RIG kitchen to yours~