Name: Deep Dish Skillet Pizza Casserole
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour ((1/4 cup extra)); 1/4 cup cornmeal ((plus extra for dusting)); 1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup warm water; 2 tablespoon olive oil; 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 2 teaspoon minced garlic; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 16 ounces ground Italian ground sausage; 6 ounces sliced pepperoni; 10 ounces shredded whole mozzarella; 1/4 cup shredded parmesan

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Pizza night at home has never been delicious like this before! This Deep Dish Skillet Pizza Casserole is a thick crust, Chicago-style pan pizza that is easy to make and is absolutely loaded with tangy pizza sauce and all your favorite pizza toppings.

An easy homemade Chicago-style, deep dish pizza in a cast iron skillet.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Who doesn’t love a good pizza? The melted, stringy cheese. The zesty tomato sauce. All those toppings and a perfect crust! Can we say true comfort food meal that no one wants to miss?!

This Deep Dish Skillet Pizza recipe is simple to make even though it includes a homemade pizza crust and a homemade sauce. Both are so easy even I was skeptical at first. But the authentic Chicago taste is undeniable!
We’re calling it a casserole because we’re layering in the sauce and toppings to pack in as much yum as we can!
The pizza dough recipe uses a rapid rise yeast and is ready to go by the time you’ve prepped the other ingredients.
The cast iron skillet creates the best crust– cornmeal dusted, crisp on the outside, tender and soft on the inside!
The easy marinara is spot on and uses canned crushed tomatoes for the perfect flavor and thickness.
Best of all, this recipe is versatile. Use your family’s favorite pizza toppings or grab some store bought sauce and dough to make a quick, semi-homemade pizza.

Ingredients & Recipe Overview

Simple, hearty ingredients for homemade pizza sauce, easy pizza dough for a deep dish skillet pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni.

I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!

Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.

canned crushed tomatoes
Italian sausage
pepperoni
freshly grated mozzarella
shredded parmesan cheese
dried oregano
dried basil
minced garlic
sugar
salt & pepper
all purpose flour
cornmeal
rapid rise yeast
olive oil

More Deep Dish Pizza Toppings + Recipe Variations

You can easily add to or substitute with your favorite pizza toppings when making this recipe. Think mushrooms, onions, black olives, green bell pepper, bacon or ham.

As a shortcut, use a store bought sauce or pizza dough instead of making your own. The flavor might be different, but choosing a quality dough and sauce will still create a delicious pizza!

How to Make The Best Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

A collage of process photos showing how to make homemade pizza dough, homemade pizza sauce and grease a deep dish pizza pan.

A collage of process photos showing how to layer a deep dish pizza casserole/

Make the Pizza Dough. Use a fork to mix together the crust’s dry ingredients. Add warm water and and olive oil. Use a stand mixer and kneading arm (or dough hook) to combine the ingredients until a soft dough ball is formed.

Transfer the soft dough ball into a well-oiled metal or glass bowl and cover with a dish towel for about 45 minutes.

Make the Marinara Sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat and stir to combine until the sauce is warm and bubbly. Add warm sauce to browned ground sausage and set aside.

Prep the Skillet. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a 10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet, and use a paper towel to oil the bottom and sides of the skillet. Dust the bottom and up the side of the skillet with a coarse cornmeal. I like to add a little garlic salt and dried parsley to my dusting for extra flavor.

Make the Crust. Lightly dust the dough ball with flour. Remove from the bowl and place dough ball in the center of the skillet. Use your fingers to gently push the dough out towards the edges and half way up the sides of the skillet.

Build the Pizza. Start by sprinkling ½ of the grated mozzarella in the bottom of the crust. Top with ½ of the meat & sauce mixture. Add 15-20 pepperoni slices. Sprinkle with ½ of the remaining mozzarella. Finish with all of the remaining meat mixture, then 15-20 more pepperoni slices, the last of the mozzarella cheese & all of the parmesan.

Bake. Bake for 30-35 minutesuntil the crust is a deep golden-brown. Check your deep dish skillet pizza around 20 minutes. If the edge of the crust is getting too brown, cover with foil and continue to bake. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife.

A close up of the pepperoni and melted fresh mozzarella on a deep dish pizza casserole baked in a cast iron skillet.

What Can I Use for A Deep Dish Pizza Pan (if I don’t have a skillet)

Even if you don’t have a cast iron skillet, this recipe is still for you! Try using a 9-10 inch cake pan or spring form pan. You can also cook this recipe in a dutch oven.

Recipe Tips & Info

This homemade pizza crust recipe is an EASY one, so don’t be afraid to try it.
The dough uses a rapid rise, or instant, yeast. As a result, the yeast can be added right in with the dry ingredients. It doesn’t have to “bloom,” and the dough doesn’t require a long rising time.
If your dough is too sticky to make a soft ball, then add ¼ cup of flour a little at a time until the texture is pillow-like. Adding too much flour will make the dough stiff.
Dusting the skillet with cornmeal adds texture and flavor to the crust. It also helps to keep the dough from sticking to the pan.
I always sprinkle a little bit of garlic salt and dried parsley in the bottom of the skillet along with the cornmeal for a more flavorful pizza crust.
If you want fabulously melted cheese with that crave-able pizza cheese pull, you are going to have to shred/grate your own mozzarella cheese.

A finish photo of a thick crust pizza baked in a cast iron skillet for an easy family meal.

Avoiding Soggy Deep Dish Pizza

The 2 most common reasons for a soggy pizza crust are:

Letting a pizza sit after its been assembled without being baked. Don’t build your pie until you’re ready to bake it, and even then, build it quickly. Never let the filling just sit in an unbaked crust.
Adding certain types of vegetables to the filling. Fresh tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant are all delicious in this Chicago style deep dish pizza recipe, but also have a high water content which is released when they are cooked. You can lightly saute these toppings to release most of their moisture before adding them to your pizza.

A slice of homemade Chicago style deep dish pizza made in a cast iron skillet.

Storing & Reheating Leftover Pizza

Pizza of any kind has never lasted more than a day at my house, but rumor has it that leftovers from this deep dish skillet pizza casserole can live in the fridge for 3-4 days. Simply let cool completely and remove the entire pizza from skillet before covering. The whole thing should come right out of the pan easily.

You could reheat leftover slices in the microwave, but placing the leftover pizza on a heated pizza stone or on a pizza pan in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes is the best way to reheat this dish.

You can also freeze this deep dish pizza after it’s been baked. After cooling completely, remove the entire pizza from the pan and cover tightly. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat using the suggestions above.

How to serve deep dish pizza casserole baked in a skillet to create a family meal with a side salad.

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If You Make This Recipe, I Can’t Wait To Hear About It!