Making Chicago Style deep dish pizza at home is easy with this Cast Iron Pizza Recipe. A simple recipe for pizza with premade dough with lots of sauce and cheese all baked in a cast iron skillet.
I am not sure why I never thought to make deep dish pizza at home. I guess when you're in the Chicago suburbs and you have access to all kinds of delicious options like Giordano's, Lou Malnati's, and Rosati's, it seemed like something I could just get as take out.
But let me tell you-- I was wrong. Making homemade deep dish is not only easy, it is so, so good.
And with my homemade pizza dough recipe as the crust? It becomes next level. However, any premade pizza dough will work. A lot of supermarkets carry them in the refrigerator section or by the deli.
I love deep dish AND thin crust, so I switch back and forth between cast iron pan pizza and my favorite thin crust pizza recipe.
Cast Iron Skillet: The Best Deep Dish Pizza Pan
There are lots of pans out there that are specifically designed for making deep dish pizza, but I am going to venture a guess and say you already have the perfect cooking vessel in your own kitchen! A standard black cast iron skillet does the job.
Cast iron can get really hot and it transfers heat well. After a generous coating of olive oil before adding in the pizza dough, there is no sticking and the finished pan pizza comes out super easy with a crispy crust once it's finished in the oven.
Cast iron skillets come in various sizes but I used a 12 inch cast iron skillet from Lodge Cast Iron brand. I have used this brand for years and I love the quality.
Ingredients
Toppings are going to vary a lot pizza to pizza because everyone has different preference. This recipe is for a traditional pizza combination of pepperoni mushrooms with a traditional red marinara sauce. If you keep scrolling, I share some other pizza topping combinations to try.
- Pizza dough: I used this recipe for sourdough pizza crust, but store bought pizza dough will work as well.
- Pizza Sauce: You can either use a red tomato sauce specifically labeled "pizza sauce" or you can use a jar of marinara sauce, which is what I do. I use Rao's.
- Cremini Mushrooms
- Pepperoni Slices
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Olive Oil
- Parmesan Cheese
Make an Easy Cast Iron Pizza with Premade Dough
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pizza cooks best in a hot oven.
Take your cast iron pan and add a generous amount of olive oil. Using your fingers, spread it around the bottom and up the sides until it is fully coated.
Roll out or stretch out pizza dough until it is a few inches larger than the circumference of the pan. Place inside and use your hands to press it in to fit the pan.
Add pepperoni, sliced mushrooms, cheese, and then top with pizza sauce. I like to sprinkle a bit of parmesan on top as well.
Place pizza in preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The crust will be golden brown.
Allow to cool for few minutes before enjoying.
Deep Dish Pizza Topping Ideas
- Sausage, Onion, Garlic
- Vegetarian Mushroom, Green PEpper, Onion, Fresh Tomatoes
- The "Godfather" Italian beef, green bell pepper, hot giardiniera, onion
How to serve cast iron skillet pizza
We love to top our deep dish pizza with some Chicago-style classics-- crushed red pepper flakes and parmesan shaker cheese.
On the side, a simple house salad, caesar salad, or even chopped salad with italian dressing makes a great addition to round out this pizza dinner.
How to reheat Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
You can either reheat the pizza by microwaving it for approximately 45 seconds, or wrapping it in foil and reheating in the oven for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.
I have also seen people wrap their pizza in foil and reheat leftovers in the air fryer at 390 degrees for about 5 minutes. I cook my frozen mini pizzas in the air fryer and it works great!
Easy Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza (Cast Iron Skillet)
Ingredients
- 1 uncooked pizza crust about 1 lb. dough
- 1 ½ cups pizza sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
- 3 oz. sliced pepperoni
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pizza cooks best in a hot oven.
- Take your cast iron pan and add a generous amount of olive oil. Using your fingers, spread it around the bottom and up the sides until it is fully coated.
- Roll out or stretch out pizza dough until it is a few inches larger than the circumference of the pan. Place inside and use your hands to press it in to fit the pan.
- Add pepperoni, sliced mushrooms, cheese, and then top with pizza sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top as a finishing touch.
- Place pizza in preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The crust will be golden brown.
- Allow to cool for few minutes before enjoying.
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