Deep Dish Pizza is a simple weeknight meal made with fire roasted tomatoes, Italian seasoning and a blend of shredded cheeses.
If you were to name one item you keep in your pantry at all times, what would it be? I have many, but one of my new favorites is fire roasted diced tomatoes. They give every recipe an extra special flavor.
Recently, I've used the tomatoes in Braised Pork Chops with Tomatoes & Portobello Mushrooms and this Italian Ground Chicken Pasta Skillet and both recipes were fantastic and a huge hit so I thought why not try them on a Deep Dish Pizza.
I'm so glad I did too, because my family couldn't get enough of this recipe!
Where was Deep Dish Pizza created?
Deep Dish Pizza was thought to originate in Chicago, but to me it's just Sicilian pizza and instead of being rectangular it's round. I can't really say for sure because I've never actually eaten pizza in Chicago.
The closest I got was trying one about 20 years ago at a Uno Pizzeria & Grill and I'm guessing it probably wouldn't be exactly the same.
I do however, like a thick crust on pizza and haven't made one like that in a REALLY long time. I tend to make my pizzas thinner; more like flatbreads because I try not to eat to many starches/carbs.
What's the key to a crispy deep dish pizza crust?
You can fill the top with whatever toppings you'd like, but the key to a crispy crust is olive oil...and be generous about it! You don't want it to stick to your pan.
How do you make Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza?
For this recipe you'll need pizza dough, fire roasted diced tomatoes, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and a blend of shredded Italian cheeses. I used the 6 Cheese Italian Blend I found at my grocer and store bought pizza crust that I find in the freezer section.
First, you'll want to make sure your dough is at room temperature. It will make it easier to stretch.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F; then generously grease two 8-inch (or 9-inch) cake pans with extra virgin olive oil. Mine had 1 ½" sides so if your pan has 2" sides, the crust may be a little thinner.
Add 1 lb. of the dough to the pan and stretch it out on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. It may take a few minutes to do this as the dough will keep shrinking back down the sides, but stick with it, it will stay eventually. Repeat with the second pan.
Add a little more olive oil to the top of the dough; then place in the oven for 10 minutes to par bake the crust. Remove the pans from the oven; then sprinkle the cheese, garlic, Italian seasonings and tomatoes on top of each crust.
Place the pizza back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
OMG! This Deep Dish Pizza was SO GOOD! The crust was super crunchy and the flavor was incredible. My family couldn't get enough of this and have already asked me to make it again.
You can serve this as an appetizer by cutting it into 8 slices or as a main meal served with a tossed salad and some mussels; which is what we had.
Being that I started the Whole30 program this week, I may have to wait a bit before I can eat this again, so please try it for yourself; then stop back to tell me how you liked it so I can get jealous. 😉 ~Enjoy!
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Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Prepared Pizza Dough, room temperature
- 1- 15(ounce) can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, drained
- 1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning
- 2 c. Shredded 6 Cheese Italian Blend
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder (or 1 tbsp. minced fresh garlic)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F; then generously grease two 8-inch (or 9-inch) cake pans with extra virgin olive oil.
- Add 1 lb. of the dough to the pan and stretch it out on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (It may take a few minutes to do this as the dough will keep shrinking back down the sides, but stick with it, it will stay eventually.) Repeat with the second pan.
- Add a little more olive oil to the top of the dough; then place in the oven for 10 minutes to par bake the crust.
- Remove the pans from the oven; then sprinkle the cheese, Italian seasonings and tomatoes on top of each crust. Place the pizza back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
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2pots2cook says
Hello ! Love using deep dish for pizzas and tarts; crazy for crust, both me and my son ! Thank you !
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Great idea!